Tampa, Florida – Millions tune in to see the female basketball powers that Uconn and South Carolina dominate in the Final Four on Friday. Many more observed Houston and Florida stun his opponents In the men’s Four Four a day later.
The Big East Commissioner, Val Ackerman, sees a world where both main events occur in the same place.
It is not a new conversation, but Ackerman believes that the exponential growth of female basketball in a landscape dominated by men now makes an ideal time for a final final of the joint final.
“It will make people say that it should not happen,” said Ackerman, who has been commissioned by Big East since 2013. “That the women’s tournament is fine. And that is not without merit. I am saying that if the NCAA is looking for growth in a more important way in a more important way in a more important way.
The basketball tournaments of men and women would celebrate their semifinals and title games in the same city on the same weekend, with a similar staggered program that currently exists. Although a combined Four Four could probably not take place until at least 2032, with sites on both sides blocked until 2031.
The president of the NCAA, Charlie Baker, does not oppose the idea, which would have to be approved by an NCAA committee, but acknowledged that there would be challenges.
“It’s not something they don’t discuss,” Baker said. “They do. I think there are two big problems with him. The biggest is to find a place that can make everything work. Only logistically () It would be a challenge.”
The combination of tournaments was also recommended several years ago after an external review of gender disparities between male and female tournaments. The scathing report was Released in August 2021 for a law firm hired by the NCAA, caused by the social networks and complaints of the players about obvious differences in services at the sites of men and women.
Ackerman said that the idea that he has been pressing for more than 10 years should be considered at least. She wrote an article for the NCAA in 2013 by proposing ideas for more capital in the championships, including the combination of both four finals.
With different sites, many commissioners, athletics directors and school officials have to choose which tournament to attend, said Ackerman. And because there are more auxiliary events and sponsorship activations on the site of men, those officials often end in that instead of the women’s tournament.
“There is a symbolism there that should not be overlooked,” said Ackerman, “that is, we are trying to build female basketball. We need everyone on board. Red and what will do it with women’s basketball. “
Ed Desser, the Sports Media Executive who was co -author of that Gender Capital Analysis 2021, said it makes financial sense to combine tournaments, since it creates a central location for all, including NCAA staff, to operate.
“Secondly, you have the opportunity, which may have seemed a bit of fantasy a few years ago, but today, the notion of filling a dome to see that women make a lot of sense,” said Desser. “And that creates operational efficiencies and creates substantial additional income opportunities.”
Las Vegas was one of the great metropolitan areas that Ackerman said it could work for a combined tournament. The city, which has the Aces of the WNBA, the NFL Raiders and the Golden Knights of the NHL, has hosted the NBA summer league, with 30 teams, since its inaugural season in 2004.
There are also concerns that women can be eclipsed by men if tournaments were held in the same place.
John Kosner, a digital media consultant, who was co -author of the Gender Equity Report with Desser, said the expanding reach of female basketball should suffocate those apprehensions.
The NCAA women’s championship game last year attracted a television audience larger than the male title game for the first time, with an average of 18.9 million viewers watching South Carolina undefeated defeated Iowa and superstar Caitlin Clark.
This year’s tournament has seen a slight decrease in grades so far, which should not be a surprise with Clark now in the WNBA. Even so, the first rounds were the second most observed, since many tuned to see big names like Paige Bueckers and Uconn are lit for their RUN National Championship.
“The Final Four Four has been incredibly exciting,” said Florida’s male basketball coach, Todd Golden. “I think it would be quite good to be able to bring the foundations of fans, both the side of men and women, together and have an experience like that. There is never too much basketball that you can have in the same place at the same time, especially in university ranks.”
UCONN GENOEMMA AND KIM MULKEY DE LSU coach Geno I was not happy With the current super regional format for the Women’s Tournament due to what they described as travel inconveniences and the inability of much of their fans base to reach their games in Spokane, Washington.
It is the third season that the four female regional have established themselves in two places. This year, the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight played in Spokane and Birmingham, Alabama.
The Huskies traveled through the country from Connecticut to Washington, then almost 3,000 miles returned to Tampa for the semifinals the day after their Eight Eight game. Auriemma criticized the format again during the Final Four.
“We don’t want to change,” the players said. “We don’t want to sell them short, you know? … You shouldn’t try to make more money when changing their experience. I don’t think there is anyone on the side of the boys and the committee goes:” I think we can save a couple of dollars if we do this. “I don’t think they worry about that.”
Baker said that the objective of the regional super was to increase assistance and improve the quality of the experience for players, which seems to be in the proposal of Ackerman online.
“It worked,” Baker said. “I mean, attendance has increased dramatically in the last three years in regional rounds as a result.”
Baker also estimated that the NCAA spent at least $ 15 million in the women’s tournament in recent years.
“I am sure that when the tournament ends, people will sit,” he said, “the Committee will receive all the comments they receive from all who heard and make decisions for the future.”
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Sports writers AP Eddie Pells and Aaron Beard contributed from San Antonio, Texas.
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