Due to the high level of competition fueled by fabled rivalries between college star Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark, the NCAA attracts a massive amount of fans and viewers to its events. Because of the massive fanbase, the NCAA and ESPN announced a new deal worth around $920 million dollars for 40 championships.

Although the NBA is the pinnacle of basketball, every league player is required to make a collegiate stop in the NCAA before emerging as global icons. College basketball provides young hoopers a professional environment in which they can hone their skills and learn from some of the best strategic minds of the game.

Women’s March Madness valued at $65 million per year

Earlier today, the NCAA signed a new eight-year broadcasting rights deal with ESPN for approximately $920 million. The new deal gives ESPN the right to broadcast 40 different NCAA disciplines like women’s volleyball, softball, baseball and many other sports. The women’s March Madness tournament is valued at almost $65 million dollars per year. IMG and WME sports worked in accordance with the NCAA on the new deal. EVP and Head of the Americas for Media at IMG, Hillary Mandel, said, “We didn’t do a renewal. This is a reset.” 

The current deal ends with the 2023-24 season. Under the previous agreement, the worth of women’s March Madness was only around $5-6 million annually. However, the new deal represents nearly a tenfold increase compared to their previous arrangement. This is a huge boost to women’s basketball, as finally they are being recognized and adequately compensated.

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Another advantage of the new agreement is that the women’s March Madness finals will be aired on the widely accessible ABC network in the USA, guaranteeing a substantial viewership. This ensures a massive viewership base. However, there’s still a sense of missed opportunity within the women’s basketball community.

Is the new deal well received within the women’s basketball community?

While the new deal is a massive improvement over the previous one, the prevailing sentiment is still of a missed opportunity. Players and coaches feel that women’s college basketball might not be able to independently prove their profitability. Unlike men’s college basketball generating almost $900 million per year through deals with Warner Bros, Discovery and CBS, women’s college basketball is bundled with 39 other tournaments.

The NCAA hired a law firm by the name of Kaplan, Hecker & Fink LLP to conduct an independent gender equity review of NCAA. In August 2021, the firm released its findings to the public. Within the document, the firm put out rough estimations on the value of the women’s basketball tournament. The firm valued women’s basketball between $81 million and $112 million, almost double the current deal. However, some industry experts have disputed these figures. What are your thoughts on the topic? Let us know in the comments below!

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