NCAA report recommends combined Final Fours

[dixiehack]

Pigs flying etc.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/08/03/ncaa-gender-equity-report-combined-final-four/

I think there are legitimate complaints about how the women's tournament (and all the so called "minor" events) are managed and marketed, but I don't think this is the solution they are looking for. The Women's Final Four usually does well as a stand-alone. It's the earlier rounds where they struggle.

 

[Starman]

The men's FF is played in 40-60K + football stadiums and tickets are at an astronomical premium.

The women's FF is played in 20K basketball arenas and tickets can usually be had close to face. If the women's FF is forced into football domes, they'll usually be half empty.

If both tourneys are forced into the same arenas, the women will be put into the "JV schedule" track; women will play Friday/Sunday with men Saturday/Monday.

If somebody comes up with the brainstorm of having one ticket cover both sessions, the arenas will empty out embarrassingly for the women's games.

If the order comes that both title games must be played the same day, the women's game will be the "JV game" at 6:00 with the men the "varsity" at 9:00. The TV networks won't tolerate any other arrangement.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

[

The men's FF is played in 40-60K + football stadiums and tickets are at an astronomical premium.

The women's FF is played in 20K basketball arenas and tickets can usually be had close to face. If the women's FF is forced into football domes, they'll usually be half empty.

If both tourneys are forced into the same arenas, the women will be put into the "JV schedule" track; women will play Friday/Sunday with men Saturday/Monday.

If somebody comes up with the brainstorm of having one ticket cover both sessions, the arenas will empty out embarrassingly for the women's games.

If the order comes that both title games must be played the same day, the women's game will be the "JV game" at 6:00 with the men the "varsity" at 9:00. The TV networks won't tolerate any other arrangement.

This is simply not so. In this century all but about four or five Final Fours have been played in domes and they wouldn't keep doing it if they weren't banged out. My guess is that if they went women's Friday-Sunday and men's the usual it'd be a huge hit and make a bunch of money, especially for the ticket holders of the two women's Friday losers.

 

[maumann]

The women are planning for Minneapolis, Dallas, Cleveland, Tampa and Phoenix for the next five years. Maybe they'll even be allowed to use the local Planet Fitness for workouts if the NCAA can't find a used Peleton to rent.

Women's Final Four: Future dates & sites

 

[wicked]

Maybe if you play the women's Final Four in a nearby arena (Detroit, San Antonio, Dallas, Atlanta could do it) with about 20,000 capacity and make it a week-long "basketball festival" type event for that city. I don't see much upside to that, though. The women would clearly be the undercard.

 

[dixiehack]

There are things the NCAA could do to push the women's tournament that wouldn't make it the equal of the men's draw but would make it more lucrative and popular. Honestly it has cheated its member schools by not marketing it properly. Same thing with the softball World Series, which has passed baseball in ratings.

 

[micropolitan guy]

Looking for a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. Both events are popular on their own, and are attended by distinctly different fan bases. Leave them that way.

 

[Neutral Corner]

That's fine as far as it goes - but they need to make an actual effort to build the women's tournament. Stuff like last year's weight room was bad enough, but did you know that the NCAA refuses to allow the women's tournament to use "March Madness"?

 

[dixiehack]

Here's the tell on what women's sports are worth. If there was a credible offer to revive the old AIAW, would the NCAA wash its hands of women's sports and be grateful to get out from underneath what it claims is a money pit? Or would it fight like heck to keep control?

 

[Twirling Time]

A lot of states alternate boys' and girls' high school state tournament games successfully. No reason why the NCAA couldn't do the same, pairing women's and men's games in sessions that are ticketed together.

Of course, if the power conferences break away, it's possible they just recognize football and men's basketball and tell the women to bake cookies.

 

[JimmyHoward33]

How many potential host cities have the lodging to accomodate potentially double a final four crowd?

 

[micropolitan guy]

That's fine as far as it goes - but they need to make an actual effort to build the women's tournament. Stuff like last year's weight room was bad enough, but did you know that the NCAA refuses to allow the women's tournament to use "March Madness"?

ESPN televises or streams every game of the women's tournament. They bend over backwards to create home-court advantages until the FF, because that's th eonly way the games draw. There's ample advertising and endless promos on ESPN. The commentators are shameless promoters of the sport, to the point where it's almost laughable. The Final Four and Selection Show are stand-alone programming.

I enjoy women's college basketball. But the women's FF is never, ever gonna be as popular as the men's. Put them at the same place and that will be more evident than ever.