NCAA Men’s and Women’s Final Fours Get New Twitter Handles, Logos
The glaring inequity in the NCAA’s investment in its Division I men’s and women’s basketball championships had hidden in plain sight for decades — until it exploded into the public consciousness via photos shared on social media of a single dumbbell rack and stack of yoga mats that passed for training equipment in the 2021 women’s tournament bubble. NCAA President Mark Emmert apologized and promised to do better. But the deep-seated disparities highlighted by players and coaches in everything from marketing to athletes’ meals and amenities aren’t likely to be remedied overnight. The NCAA took another incremental step in narrowing the gap last week by unveiling comparable social media handles and hashtags, @MFinalFour and @WFinalFour, to supplant the longstanding @FinalFour that was exclusive to men. They complement recently redesigned logos that underscore the fact that, starting with the 2022 championships, there won’t be just one NCAA Final Four but an NCAA Men’s Final Four and an NCAA Women’s Final Four.
NCAA President Mark Emmert apologized and promised to do better. But the deep-seated disparities highlighted by players and coaches in everything from marketing to athletes’ meals and amenities aren’t likely to be remedied overnight.
The NCAA took another incremental step in narrowing the gap last week by unveiling comparable social media handles and hashtags, @MFinalFour and @WFinalFour, to supplant the longstanding @FinalFour that was exclusive to men. They complement recently redesigned logos that underscore the fact that, starting with the 2022 championships, there won’t be just one NCAA Final Four but an NCAA Men’s Final Four and an NCAA Women’s Final Four.