It’s that exciting time for basketball fans around the country once more: March Madness.

63 Division I college teams compete head-to-head in seven different rounds in order to deem the ultimate champion. However, it seems the focus of this special event is all on one aspect: the men’s team. Why is the women’s team barely getting any coverage or recognition? What can be done to change this?

I feel that while it is unfair that the men and women do not receive equal coverage, I can understand why some fans favor the men’s tournament over the women’s. 

For one, many people choose March Madness as a time to place bets. Fans will fill out their own bracket to try and predict which team will win each round, ultimately guessing who will win the entire event. Some fans will put their money into a betting pool and whoever has the closest matching bracket to how the tournament actually plays out, wins the pool. Most, if not all of these bets come from the men’s tournament, meaning the men’s games are viewed more overall.

Many fans have argued that men’s basketball games can be more fast-paced than the women’s, resulting in a higher scoring game, therefore making it more entertaining to watch. This is why some fans may choose to make brackets following the men, meaning most fans end up only following the men’s tournament. 

When looking up “What is March Madness?” online, the NCAA provided definition describes a “Division 1 men’s basketball tournament” without hinting at the fact that there it is also a Division 1 women’s basketball tournament. 

I feel this is unacceptable. While the men’s games might be more popular, it does not mean the women deserve little to no acknowledgement.

Some of my friends were even surprised to learn that the women’s tournament existed and that March Madness was not just played by men. These women have worked just as hard, practiced the same amount of hours and are in the same division as the men. 

I believe because the men’s tournament is more popular, the women’s should get even more coverage. However this is not the case unfortunately, as the women barely get any recognition in the media, especially less than the men’s team. 

Even with the popularity of the men’s tournament, it is an undeniable fact that the women’s teams deserve more attention overall. At the end of the day, it comes down to determination, hard work and skill on and off the court, which both the men’s and women’s teams project. Bracket or no bracket, I believe fans should try to watch both teams to support not only the teams individually, but the sport as a whole, in the most exciting basketball oriented time of the year. 

The Final Four round for the women’s tournament starts March 31, and the men’s starts April 1.