One of the biggest supporters of equality in women’s sports has been Brooklyn Nets’ star Kyrie Irving. Just like his mentor, the late Kobe Bryant, Irving has been a major pioneer in advancing women’s basketball to the point that it is just as widely recognized as the men’s game.
Both the men’s and women’s March Madness tournaments are set to kick off this week and teams began arriving to the bubble late on Thursday. Upon their arrival, photos began to surface showing the disparaging differences between what was provided for the men’s teams and what was provided for the women’s teams.
The Nets’ star was not having it.
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Kyrie Irving Slams the NCAA for Its Treatment of Women
“So, this is how ya’ll are doing our Queens???!!! We can’t tolerate this they deserve more!” Irving said on his Instagram via Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson.
Kyrie Irving not pleased with NCAA’s mistreatment of women’s basketball.
Men on the left. Women on the right.
Social media posts have shown differences in the size of swag bags for Men & Women basketball players at the NCAA Tournament.
This would be a great time for other big name companies to step up & create new swag bags.
In the photos not only can you see a clear difference in the care packages that the women received but also, the women’s training facility is much smaller than the men’s training facility.
Let me put it on Twitter too cause this needs the attention
Other professional athletes sounded off on the matter as well:
Women’s @NCAA bubble weight room vs Men’s weight room… thought this was a joke. WTF is this?!?
To all the women playing in the @marchmadness tournament, keep grinding!
UConn Athletic Director Sounds Off
Professional athletes were not the only people who were dismayed by the differences between the men’s and women’s training facilities. University of Connecticut Athletic Director David Benedict also sounded off on the matter.
“It’s ridiculous, ridiculous,” Benedict said via The Hour.
“Based on pictures coming from student-athletes, there’s plenty of space where they could have done more. So, it’s not a space issue. It’s either an oversight issue, they just made a mistake, or there’s another unknown reason, which one would have to presume is monetary. So, it’s either just an oversight or it’s a monetary issue. Neither one is an excuse.”
The NCAA Vowed To Right Its Wrongs
After hours of backlash, the NCAA vowed to correct the disparities between the men’s and women’s training facilities in the March Madness bubbles.
“We fell short this year in what we’ve been doing to prepare,” NCAA’s Vice President of women’s basketball Lynn Holzman, told reporters on Friday via the Washington Post.
Holzman also said that the NCAA is ‘actively working’ on improving the meals and training facilities for the women’s tournament this year.
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Kyrie’s Support for Women’s Sports Runs Deep
Kyrie’s support for women’s basketball is nothing new. When many WNBA players elected not to participate in last summer’s WNBA bubble due to COVID-19 concerns or social justice reform, they were not paid their salary if they did not have a doctor’s note. Irving stepped up and donated $1.5 million to help pay those salaries through his KAI Empowerment Initiative.
“Whether a person decided to fight for social justice, play basketball, focus on physical or mental health, or simply connect with their families, this initiative can hopefully support their priorities and decisions,” Irving said in a statement via LandonBuford.com.
Irving is continuing to push the women’s game forward.
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