NCAA is considering combining the men’s and women’s Final Four events

NCAA basketball’s Final Four tournaments may look different soon following an announcement by the association.

The NCAA has made headlines a shameful amount of times in the past few years for a slew of different gender inequity concerns between men’s and women’s athletics.

One of the most prominent criticisms came last year when women’s basketball players began posting comparisons of their facilities to the men’s facilities on social media during the 2021 tournaments. After many players and fans joined the conversation, the NCAA vowed to work towards a more equitable future.

Back in August, a third party gender-equity review of the NCAA found significant problems.

"“The NCAA’s broadcast agreements, corporate sponsorship contracts, distribution of revenue, organizational structure, and culture all prioritize Division I men’s basketball over everything else in ways that create, normalize, and perpetuate gender inequities.”"

NCAA announces first vote on a combined men’s and women’s Final Four

One of the standout recommendations from the review committee was to create a combined NCAA Final Four tournament in hopes that it would attract more support and sponsorship opportunities for the women’s side. The combined model would put both tournaments in the same city at the same time, and ideally create equitable experiences and opportunities for the men’s and women’s teams.

On Thursday, the NCAA made a statement announcing their dive into exploring a combination tournament structure.

The statement indicates that no final decision has been made, but a vote concluded that 2027 would be the soonest possible year for a joint tournament should the NCAA choose to move in that direction. The announcement also emphasizes that this decision is just the beginning of a lengthy process aiming to combat structural gender inequity for collegiate athletes.

This news comes after the NCAA announced earlier this week that March Madness branding would be used for the women’s basketball tournament as early as this year. Though it looks like the NCAA is least taking steps in the right direction, a true solution seems to be far in the distance.