<ul class="summary-list"><li>Oregon's <keyword id="13679265" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="sedona-prince" source="Orion">Sedona Prince</keyword> has become as well-known for her activism as she is for her athletics.</li><li>The Ducks player and TikTok star famously unveiled the weight room discrepancies at the 2021 NCAA tourney.</li></ul>Sedona Prince is everywhere: on the court, in the classroom, at the Final Four and WNBA Draft, and on TV screens and For You Pages across the country.But no matter where she goes, the 6-foot-7 <keyword id="12832957" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="oregon-ducks" source="Orion">Oregon Ducks</keyword> basketball player and TikTok star puts her values at the forefront. It follows, then, that Prince — who uses she/they pronouns — would lead with their advocacy as they venture into the boardroom, too.The 21-year-old Liberty Hill, Texas, native is teaming up with Riff — a brand reimagining <keyword id="11909377" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="coffee" source="Orion">coffee</keyword>'s environmental impact — as an equity partner and its Chief Community Officer. She'll work on building out Riff's branding alongside the likes of Super Bowl champion Vernon Davis, while furthering the Oregon-based company's goals of reducing coffee's environmental footprint and championing smallholder coffee farmers.<div type="image" title="Sedona Prince." height="1666" width="2500" msid="91006861" hostid="261"></div>"I've always been very passionate about activism and advocacy, so the fact that I'm able to do that now with such a large platform and actually make a difference is really, really cool," Prince told Insider. "It's impactful. And, you know, I'm just happy that I have a space to do this and that people actually listen and respond to it because it's how we're making change.""It's pretty dope," they added.A relatively small company located "down the road" from campus, Riff has differentiated itself by harvesting the full coffee plant — not just the beans — to eliminate significant amounts of environmental waste. Using the beans for cold brew and the usually discarded cascara — the nutrient-rich fruit component of the plant — to create America's first carbon-neutral energy drink, Riff has managed to help the planet while creating new revenue streams for coffee farmers who often struggle to earn fair wages.<div type="image" title="Basketball player Sedona Prince." height="2000" width="3000" msid="91006864" hostid="261"></div>For Prince, who "always had a lot of passion for the environment" and grew up "wanting to be a zoologist," Riff's initiatives to combat <keyword id="11896311" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="climate-change" source="Orion">climate change</keyword> immediately sparked her interest. And as an outspoken champion for equality — especially after they famously shined a light on disparities between the men's and women's NCAA tournaments — Prince wanted to be part of the brand's efforts to help small farmers increase their earnings."Sedona obviously sent a massive wave throughout the country over the statement that she was brave enough to make [at the 2021 NCAA tournament]," Riff CEO Paul Evers told Insider. "And at Riff, our whole thing is about integrity and being willing to tell the truth about what we call 'coffee's dirty not-so-little secret'... The big coffee brands aren't willing to tell the story. So [we're] calling it out — not only the negative environmental impact, but also [the fact that] 80% of the world's coffee is grown by smallholder farmers who are struggling to make a living.""Sedona's got such a powerful voice and is willing to challenge things," he added. "But she's also a ton of fun. It's a great fit. There's a really strong cultural alignment there."<div type="image" title="Sedona Prince and Riff CEO Paul Evers." height="1280" width="1920" msid="91006867" hostid="261"></div>While activism was a major force driving Prince's partnership with Riff, the opportunity to truly immerse herself on the business end helped draw her in, too.While many college athletes have capitalized on the NCAA's loosened Name, Image, and Likeness rules by posting on social media on behalf of a brand, only a handful are "really doing things like investing and becoming a part of companies that they believe in," she said.With Riff, Prince is one of the lucky few."These partnerships where I get to be a part of the company, where I get to help grow it, and they can also mentor me, was something that I really, really wanted to do," she said. "And especially for something that I had such passion in, which was environmental conservation."<div type="image" title="Sedona Prince." height="1878" width="2500" msid="91006871" hostid="261"></div>"Hopefully I get to be a part of it as much as I can, and then travel around and visit these farms where we can see what's going on firsthand," Prince added.Prince knows that, at this point, they're just as well-known for their activism as they are for their athletic prowess. She kicked off the nationwide reckoning that forced the NCAA to reevaluate its approach to gender equity, and ever since, she's been seen as a symbol of progress in the world of <keyword id="11893855" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports" source="Orion">sports</keyword>.Just last month, while <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3tz9WTI0vw&amp;list=PLipK_ff4NIl3JdE6UtYE2f9V43POSLU-z&amp;index=2">filming a video</a> for <a href="https://www.insider.com/sue-bird-togethxr-womens-sports-startup-2021-3">women's sports media brand Togethxr</a> at the Final Four in Minneapolis, Prince had an on-camera interaction that encapsulated their powerful role as a sports advocate. A father-daughter duo ran into the larger-than-life star, and the dad explained through tears that his 14-year-old daughter found the courage to come out as gay to their family after taking inspiration and comfort in the life Prince leads and the example she sets.<div type="image" title="Sedona Prince at the 2022 WNBA Draft." height="1878" width="2500" msid="91006873" hostid="261"></div>Prince knows that this level of influence "comes with a lot of responsibility." They view their <keyword id="12467960" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="nil" source="Orion">NIL</keyword> work in a similar way; partnering with purpose-driven brands is just a natural extension of their activist role."I try to speak up for people who can't necessarily have a voice, or their voices can't be heard," Prince said. "And so it's a big responsibility to try to be well-spoken in every single aspect of advocacy, which is not the easiest thing all the time.""But with that, it's so cool," she added. "I get to show people that student athletes can speak up. They can use their voice on things that aren't just about sports, which is super cool. And I just want to break the barriers and help other athletes use their platforms, build their platforms and then, you know, find the best ways to use them for things that they're passionate about."

Sedona Prince is tackling coffee's 'dirty not-so-little secret' and extending their advocacy to the environment

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The 2021 <keyword id="11932023" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ncaa" source="Orion">NCAA</keyword> tournament was marred by controversy following the weight room scandal.</li><li>Social media posts revealed disparities between the resources at the men's and women's tourneys.</li></ul>With increased parity across the board, bigger stars emerging each season, and more coverage of the sport itself, the women's NCAA tournament has been steadily making gains.But in 2021, focus shifted from the hardwood to the weight room as <keyword id="12832958" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="march-madness" source="Orion">March Madness</keyword> was embroiled with controversy.Thanks to a video shared on social media by Oregon Ducks star Sedona Prince, blatant disparities between the resources offered to athletes at the men's and women's tournaments were broadcast for all to see. Most notably, players at the men's tournament had access to a sparkling weight room filled with rows of top-notch machinery. At the women's tournament, players were expected to make due with a pile of yoga mats and a pathetic-looking rack of dumbbells.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Sedona Prince (@sedonaprince_) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1372736231562342402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2021</a></blockquote>Nearly a year later, four of college basketball's biggest superstars — Louisville's <keyword id="13391712" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="hailey-van-lith" source="Orion">Hailey Van Lith</keyword>, Baylor's <keyword id="13391711" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="nalyssa-smith" source="Orion">NaLyssa Smith</keyword>, Michigan's <keyword id="13391713" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="naz-hillmon" source="Orion">Naz Hillmon</keyword>, and UConn's <keyword id="13391714" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="christyn-williams" source="Orion">Christyn Williams</keyword> — reflected on the experience during an exclusive roundtable with TOGETHXR."I mean, that was crazy," Williams said. "You can't even make that up.""They tried us, for sure," Smith added with a laugh. "They tried to play us."<div type="image" title="UConn's Christyn Williams looks to pass the ball." height="1855" width="2500" msid="90234718" hostid="261"></div>Williams then recounted the moment she and her Huskies teammates saw the weight room situation with their own eyes, a hint of disbelief in her voice."Like, honestly, we went to the gym and saw it had like five yoga mats and two-pound dumbbells," Williams said. "I'm like, WHAT?!""Our practice gym, like, had the lights turned off," Van Lith chimed in. "There was no lights in the practice gym! It was like a ballroom."<div type="image" title="Louisville's Hailey Van Lith handles the ball." height="1667" width="2500" msid="90234719" hostid="261"></div>Williams then broke down <a href="https://twitter.com/MarchMadnessWBB/status/1372676389208477696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1372676389208477696%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.insider.com%2Fncaa-sexism-images-show-inequality-mens-womens-march-madness-2021-3">the NCAA's "reasoning"</a> for the uneven resources provided to the men's and women's basketball stars. Leadership of the governing body for college <keyword id="11893855" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports" source="Orion">sports</keyword> initially claimed that a lack of space at the women's tournament resulted in the lackluster weight room situation, but that turned out to be <a href="https://www.insider.com/ncaa-sexism-images-show-inequality-mens-womens-march-madness-2021-3">an easily debunked excuse</a>."They had a whole new gym the next day, didn't they?!" Hillmon said, referencing the replacement weight room the NCAA cobbled together after the scandal erupted."They got it quick!" Williams added. "I'm like, y'all could've just did this at the beginning."<div type="image" title="Michigan's Naz Hillmon grabs a rebound." height="1667" width="2500" msid="90234720" hostid="261"></div>All four athletes commended Prince for making the initial video that shined a light on the NCAA's wrongdoing. Hillmon also noted that the powers that be will always find a way to cut corners "if we don't continue to hold them accountable.""That took guts, too," Van Lith said of Prince. "If I was her, I don't know about going against the NCAA like that. That's big time."Check out the full video — in which Van Lith, Smith, Hillmon, and Williams discuss NIL, March Madness, social media, mental health, and more —below:<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tBgc356v-kg" frameborder="0"></iframe>

4 college basketball stars blasted the NCAA for the 'crazy' 2021 March Madness weight room scandal

<ul><li><keyword id="819905" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="instagram" source="Orion">Instagram</keyword> has started rolling out exclusive features for creators.</li><li>Now, creators will be able to post exclusive content and Reels, only for subscribers</li><li>These new features are aimed to assist creators in earning a stable income.</li></ul>Earlier this year Instagram started testing ‘Subscriptions’ for creators. Now a tweet by Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram revealed that creators using Instagram Subscriptions will be able to lock reels and posts behind a paywall for subscribers. Besides this, creators can also directly chat with subscribers. This is a part of Instagram's efforts to help creators earn a stable income, said Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram. <div type="twitter" handle="mosseri" handlename="Adam Mosseri" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1304432225279148032/OblFLTSF_normal.jpg" favoritecount="449" retweetcount="101" status="📣 Subscriptions Update 📣Subscriptions are a great way for creators to have a predictable income &amp; for fans to get… https://t.co/PfFhIMlICo" createdat="1657805392000" id="1547574099035115527"></div>Instagram began testing this feature in January with ten US creators including, actor-influencer Alan Chikin Chow, basketball player Sedona Prince, model Kelsey Cook and Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles. Since then, thousands of creators have gained access to Instagram Subscriptions feature. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Here are new features of Instagram’s ‘Subscriptions’" comment="subhead" text="Here are new features of Instagram’s ‘Subscriptions’">Here are new features of Instagram’s ‘Subscriptions’</cmsannotation> <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Subscribers Chats" comment="subhead" text="Subscribers Chats"><keyword id="14459344" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Subscribers-Chats" source="Orion">Subscribers Chats</keyword></cmsannotation> The new chatting feature will allow creators to start a chat with up to thirty people at a time. With this creators will be able to interact with their subscribers allowing them to build a stronger community, said Meta. The Subscriber Chats will be powered by Messenger. The chats can be directly created from the story or inbox and they will end automatically after 24 hours. To join chats, subscribers will have to simply tap on the sticker ‘join chat.’ <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Exclusive Posts and Reels" comment="subhead" text="Exclusive Posts and Reels">Exclusive Posts and Reels</cmsannotation> With this feature, creators will be able to create subscriber-focused content with exclusive Reels and posts. This feature will label posts and reels as ‘exclusive’ with a purple banner and white crown for subscribers. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Exclusive Tab on Profile" comment="subhead" text="Exclusive Tab on Profile">Exclusive Tab on Profile</cmsannotation> Creators will also have a ‘Subscriber home’ tab on their profiles. With this tab, subscribers of the creator can view exclusive content which is only available to them. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/amazon-has-handed-over-11-ring-doorbell-videos-to-police-without-owners-consent-so-far-this-year-report-finds/articleshow/92880971.cms">Amazon has handed over 11 Ring doorbell videos to police without owners' consent so far this year, report finds</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/see-inside-a-new-1550-square-foot-3d-printed-home-in-virginia/slidelist/92882024.cms">See inside a new 1,550-square-foot 3D-printed home in Virginia</a>

Instagram introduces paywall for creators to monetize content through subscriptions

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Images depicting vastly different resources at the men's and women's <keyword id="1606264" type="SPORT" weightage="60" keywordseo="NCAA-Tournament">NCAA tournament</keyword> went viral.</li><li>The <keyword id="125824" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="NCAA">NCAA</keyword> has since apologized, promising to fix it "as soon as possible."</li><li>Originally, the NCCA blamed a lackluster women's weight room on "limited space," an excuse debunked by Oregon's Sedona Prince.</li></ul>The NCAA on Friday apologized after viral images and videos revealing shocking disparities between the men's and women's basketball facilities circulated on social media. Stanford <keyword id="6356028" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports">sports</keyword> performance coach Ali Kershner shared the images in a post that contrasted the full weight room offered at the men's <keyword id="952232" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="March-Madness">March Madness</keyword> tournament in Indianapolis with the single rack of the weights provided to the women in San Antonio.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Ali Kershner, MS, CSCS (@alikershner) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1372588571689893890?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2021</a></blockquote>"I apologize to the women's student-athletes, coaches and committee for dropping the ball on the weight room issue in San Antonio, we'll get it fixed as soon as possible," NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball Dan Gavitt said on a Zoom call Friday addressing the discrepancies.The apology comes just as the NCAA attempts to walk back its earlier remarks on the obvious weight room disparities. Originally, the NCAA had cited "limited space" as an excuse for the disparities, a claim that was debunked by one of the basketball players in a video that has since gone viral. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-NCAA Women’s Basketball (@ncaawbb) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1372676389208477696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2021</a></blockquote>The only problem? That excuse was, apparently, a blatant lie.Oregon Ducks star Sedona Prince called BS on the NCAA's "limited space" excuse. She filmed the room where women's players from all 64 teams are expected to train using just a small set of dumbbells and some thin yoga mats.In the video Prince shared on Twitter, she filmed the weight pyramid and then zoomed out to reveal a giant conference room filled with nothing but empty space and folding chairs - directly contradicting the NCAA's claim.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Sedona Prince (@sedonaprince_) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1372736231562342402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2021</a></blockquote>Professional athletes and big names in college athletics lambasted the NCAA for its gender-based disparate treatment of players. Former <keyword id="1737297" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="College-Basketball">college basketball</keyword> and current WNBA stars <a href="https://twitter.com/S10Bird/status/1372699195035979777">Sue Bird,</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/_ajawilson22/status/1372628499274498056">A'ja Wilson</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/sabrina_i20/status/1372658732790771713">Sabrina Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/T_Cloud4/status/1372621544376111109">Natasha Cloud</a>, and more demanded answers for the apparent <keyword id="6390075" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="sexism">sexism</keyword>.On the men's side, reigning NBA rookie of the year <a href="https://twitter.com/JaMorant/status/1372676194777370625">Ja Morant called the move "disrespectful"</a> on Twitter. Portland Trail Blazers star <a href="https://twitter.com/CJMcCollum/status/1372667004176400385">CJ McCollum said the NCAA has "gotta do better."</a> "Come on now," said <a href="https://twitter.com/StephenCurry30/status/1372792082058813443">two-time NBA MVP Steph Curry</a>. With sports media personalities like <a href="https://twitter.com/JayBilas/status/1372651783315677186">ESPN's Jay Bilas</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/SarahSpain/status/1372699831152566275">Sarah Spain</a> using their own platforms to chime in, the NCAA clearly felt the pressure to address the issue.Beyond the obvious differences in quality and quantity in the men's and women's weight rooms, the NCAA also appears to have slighted its women's players in other areas of the NCAA tournament. Images appear to show that the "swag bags" offered to the men's players feature far more merchandise than the ones received by the women's athletes.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="none">-Dan Henry (@danhenry3) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1372622757587001350?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2021</a></blockquote>During Friday's Zoom call, women players asked about the value of the gift bags they received. NCAA officials, however, told the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/womens-basketball-womens-college-basketball-basketball-media-social-media-01bcb8bbe4a9ec1073d26b998f9be586">Associated Press</a> that they believe the gift bag values were equal. Players also pointed out on the call that there are 68 men's teams compared to 64 women's teams, the Associated Press reported. Additionally, the NCAA addressed the fact that it pays for the men's National Invitation Tournament but not the women's. "We fell short this year in what we have been doing to prepare in the last 60 days for 64 teams to be in San Antonio. We acknowledge that," said NCAA Senior Vice President of women's basketball Lynn Holzman. "Last night we did have a call with our coaches and team administrators in a way to solicit feedback and their experience thus far."The NCAA's latest predicament comes mere days after players on the men's side publicly spoke out against the organization on Twitter in protest of ongoing policies that prevent them from being paid.The <a href="https://www.insider.com/college-athletes-protest-the-ncaa-2021-3">#NotNCAAproperty campaign</a> threatens to <a href="https://www.insider.com/march-madness-ncaa-tournament-games-protest-2021-3">delay March Madness games</a> in the later rounds of the NCAA tournament over athletes' lack of compensation and continued denial of ownership over their names, images, and likenesses.Growing calls against the organization regarding both its sexism and its labor practices may force further action during this year's tournaments.

The NCAA apologized after getting caught in a lie about the wildly different equipment provided to men's and women's basketball players

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="1744319" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Dicks-Sporting-Goods">Dick's Sporting Goods</keyword> tweeted that it will bring fitness equipment to female <keyword id="125824" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="NCAA">NCAA</keyword> athletes.</li><li>Viral photos showed that the women's fitness room in the NCAA bubble was sparser than the men's. </li><li>Players pointed out other unequal treatment including food and COVID-19 tests.</li></ul>Dick's Sporting Goods offered to bring fitness equipment to the NCAA women after viral videos revealed the unequal treatment female basketball players received from the organization compared to the men's teams.Stanford <keyword id="6356028" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="sports">sports</keyword> performance coach Ali Kershner shared photos comparing the setups for men and women provided by the NCAA. The men's room was full of weights and professional equipment, while the women's space appeared to only have yoga mats and small dumbbells.<blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px); data.width~540;"><div style="padding:8px;"><div style="background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.4537037037% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CMkRJ2LswFp" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank"></a> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by Ali Kershner, MS, CSCS (@kershner.ali)<time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime=""></time></div></blockquote>Teams playing in the March Madness NCAA tournaments will be in a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/interactive/2021/ncaa-tournament-bubble-covid-indianapolis/">bubble</a> for three weeks sharing hotels and workout spaces in Indianapolis until the sweet sixteen.Critics have pointed out <a href="https://www.insider.com/ncaa-sexism-images-show-inequality-mens-womens-march-madness-2021-3">other discrepancies</a> in the organization's treatment of male and female athletes, from different food to even different types of daily <a href="https://ftw.usatoday.com/2021/03/ncaa-has-failed-its-womens-march-madness-teams-weight-room-food-covid-tests">COVID-19 tests.</a>Fans, players, and members of the media called further attention to the discrepancy on social media.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-AJ McCord (@AJ_McCord) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1372759106121912320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2021</a></blockquote><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Sedona Prince (@sedonaprince_) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1372736231562342402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2021</a></blockquote>On Friday, sports retailer Dick's Sporting Goods tweeted "Our teammates have worked quickly to get truckloads of fitness equipment ready" to bring to the women's workoutroom, with photos of U-Hauls.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-DICK'S Sporting Goods (@DICKS) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1373003157467463685?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2021</a></blockquote><a href="https://twitter.com/orangetheory/status/1372979451873656835?s=20">Orange Theory</a> also tweeted that it will make studios available for female athletes to train.The NCAA has also since released a statement. "We acknowledge that some of the amenities teams would typically have access to have not been as available inside the controlled environment. In part, this is due to the limited space, and the original plan was to expand the workout area once additional space was available later in the tournament" NCAA vice president for women's basketball Lynn Holzman said in a statement to the media."However, we want to be responsive to the needs of our participating teams, and we are actively working to enhance existing resources at practice courts, including additional weight training equipment."

Dick's Sporting Goods says it will provide equipment to women's NCAA tournament after viral photos showed fitness room was lacking

<ul class="summary-list"><li>College athletes are in court fighting for compensation, and entrepreneurs are watching closely.</li><li>The Alston vs. <keyword id="125824" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="NCAA">NCAA</keyword> supreme court ruling could decide the future of those opportunities.</li><li>NIL rights for college athletes could spark a new market for startup endorsement agencies.</li></ul>US Supreme Court justices gave individual <a href="https://www.insider.com/questions-the-ncaa-faced-from-the-supreme-court-justices-2021-3">scoldings to the NCAA</a> for its defense of restricting compensation for college athletes in the first hearing for the Alston vs. NCAA case last Wednesday. The Supreme Court's eventual ruling on that case, which focuses specifically on education-related benefits, could ultimately set a precedent for another anti-trust lawsuit against the NCAA currently in the pipeline: House vs. NCAA. That case directly addresses the issue of athletes receiving money by selling the rights to their <a href="https://www.insider.com/college-athletes-protest-the-ncaa-2021-3">names, images, and likenesses (NIL)</a>. House vs. NCAA, filed last June, is expected to be tried in the Supreme Court this summer. The case is led by current Arizona State University men's swimmer Grant House and University of Oregon women's basketball player Sedona Prince. House and Prince don't play <keyword id="6356028" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports">sports</keyword> that generate revenue like football and men's basketball, which are the sports leading the conversation for athletes getting direct compensation and revenue-sharing opportunities due to lucrative TV contracts and merchandising. However, Prince, in particular, has something that indicates there's plenty of revenue for her to claim as an athlete: 223,000 Instagram followers. <h2>NIL endorsement rights would give business opportunities to all college athletes</h2>Jason Bergman is the founder of <a href="https://www.marketpryce.com">MarketPryce</a>, a startup service designed to connect athletes and influencers with potential endorsement partners. Bergman believes athletes with social media followings even half the size of Prince's could find endorsement deals no matter what sport they play or where they play it. "We have a whole network of over 100 national businesses ready to partner with student-athletes," Bergman told Insider. "My bigger goal is to let an athlete go on to an app on their phone and connect with any business they want."Bergman's service currently allows professional athletes to match with endorsement partners and negotiate deals based on the athlete's social media following. MarketPryce's current clientele comprises <a href="https://marketpryce.com/talents/">professional athletes</a>, including Chris Bosh, Alvin Kamara, Kelley O'Hara, Christen Press, and Ray Lewis, looking for smaller-scale <keyword id="33529" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="endorsements">endorsements</keyword> aside from the bigger deals their agents set up.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-MarketPryce (@marketpryce) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1378365417266290688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2021</a></blockquote>Bergman believes that if college athletes gain NIL rights, it could multiply the size of his business, unlocking tens of thousands of potential clients across the country."The cool thing with college fans is they feel like they know their athletes growing up," Bergman said. "That's what's cool about athlete marketing versus influencer marketing. An influencer's first job is to promote a product. An Athlete's first job is to play a sport, and they have fans because of it, so being able to tap into that base across the country, that's where the real value is for the companies we've talked to."<h2>The courts could decide the future of NIL rights, but the outcome will come with risks and a necessity for guidance</h2>Three other pieces of proposed federal legislation would enable college athletes to profit from their NIL. These include Rep. Anthony Gonzalez's "Student Athlete Level Playing Field Act," Sen. Cory Booker's <a href="https://www.insider.com/democratic-senator-ncaa-student-athletes-2021-3">College Athletes Bill of Rights</a>, and Sen. Chris Murphy's "College Athlete Economic Freedom Act."The recurring argument by prognosticators against each proposed bill is how NIL endorsements could distract college athletes from athletics and academics and how entrepreneurs could take advantage of undereducated athletes from poorer backgrounds. Even proponents of NIL rights for student-athletes share those concerns.Former NBA player and ESPN, CBS Sports, and Fox Sports analyst Len Elmore currently co-chairs the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics - a panel dedicated to reform in collegiate athletics with an emphasis on athletes' rights. "Dreams and ideas of young people don't change over the generations, and when you start adding money into the mix, then that's the shiny object that distracts from the pursuit of education," Elmore told Insider. "That shouldn't be the focus. To me, that's ancillary to the main reason you're on campus ... but I also recognize that it's a right."While services like MarketPryce sell themselves as a means for college athletes to create marketing partnerships, Elmore agreed there is a risk of being exploited by marketers. Additionally, college programs and boosters using NIL opportunities as a recruiting tool is another danger that Elmore believes could compromise the integrity of college sports. "That's why you need the guard rails, you need the rules that are going to prohibit the institutions from being involved so that they can't use it as a recruiting tool," Elmore said. "The reason for compensation for name, image, and likeness, has to be based upon their popularity, based upon the marketplace that is desirable for having that athlete involved as opposed to artificially propping up the price so that you can recruit that athlete from somebody else."The NCAA has made its own in-house rule change proposal that would do the same, which would place heavier restrictions on potential exploitation than the federal legislature. However, the NCAA opted to table the vote indefinitely. A major college sports commissioner said that the NCAA isn't expected to resume talks on those policy changes until their current battle in court is over, according to Matt Norlander of <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/staff-picks-college-football-stars-poised-to-wow-scouts-at-their-future-nfl-draft-pro-day-workouts/">CBS Sports</a>.

Supreme Court's ruling for college athletes would mean big business for endorsement startups

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6312906" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Womens-college-basketball">Women's college basketball</keyword> players combatted unequal treatment at this year's <keyword id="125824" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="NCAA">NCAA</keyword> tournament.</li><li><keyword id="152792" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="WNBA">WNBA</keyword> superstar <keyword id="9054779" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="sabrina-ionescu">Sabrina Ionescu</keyword> said watching athletes speak out gave her "goosebumps."</li><li>She told Insider about her reaction to the apparent inequity and the women's success in spite of it. </li></ul>Sabrina Ionescu may have moved on from the NCAA, but the <keyword id="1745596" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Oregon-Ducks">Oregon Ducks</keyword> triple-double queen-turned-New York Liberty superstar is still a big fan of the college game.So when apparent inequity between the men's and women's 2021 NCAA tournaments presented itself in the form of <a href="https://www.insider.com/ncaa-sexism-images-show-inequality-mens-womens-march-madness-2021-3">vastly different weight rooms</a>, Ionescu was quick to use her platform to highlight the absurdity of the situation.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Sabrina Ionescu (@sabrina_i20) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1372658732790771713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2021</a></blockquote>With her former Oregon teammate Sedona Prince leading the charge in speaking out against the <a href="https://www.insider.com/march-madness-puzzles-ncaa-500-150-pieces-men-women-sexism-2021-3">NCAA's disparate treatment</a> between its men's and women's basketball players, Ionescu said she felt an immense sense of pride for her former program and the women of the NCAA at large."It was awesome to get to see all the players and coaches and everyone speaking out about it," Ionescu told Insider while discussing her <a href="http://insider.com/sabrina-ionescu-bodyarmor-commercial-naomi-osaka-friendship-2021-4">recent campaign for BODYARMOR</a>. "It gave me goosebumps to just be able to see that no matter the fact that they were in a bubble, no matter the fact of whatever seed they were, they didn't care.""They knew that they deserved better, that all of the women at the NCAA tournament deserve better," she added. "And they didn't mind speaking out about it, which is awesome."<div type="image" title="sabrina ionescu" height="1000" width="1333" msid="82317037" hostid="261"></div>Ionescu herself spoke out against various instances of inequality that bubbled up to the surface throughout her illustrious college basketball career. After dropping a 29-point triple-double during the NCAA tournament her junior year, she <a href="https://twitter.com/JournalistClark/status/1110033195775324160">called out ESPN directly</a> because it "never recognizes <keyword id="1739459" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Womens-Sports">women's sports</keyword>."She later called out the "Worldwide Leader in <keyword id="6356028" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports">Sports</keyword>" for relegating the 2020 WNBA Draft to <keyword id="56400" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="ESPN">ESPN</keyword>2. With the future No. 1 overall pick's help, ESPN heard the outcry from fans and players alike and <a href="https://www.insider.com/wnba-draft-2020-airing-on-espn-after-backlash-over-espn2-2020-3">moved the draft to its main channel</a>."I did a lot last year and in the previous years that I was there with anything that was going on and didn't really care what anyone else thought," Ionescu said. "I was just going to speak my mind."<div type="image" title="ncaa women's basketball" height="1667" width="2500" msid="82317038" hostid="261"></div>She was happy to watch this year's NCAA women's tournament thrive despite the disadvantages players, coaches, and others faced. In addition to the weight room discrepancy, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/march-madness-ncaa-tournament-womens-basketball-11616428776">The Wall Street Journal reported</a> that the NCAA actively withheld powerful brand names like "March Madness" and "Big Dance" from use for the women's tournament.Even still, the 2021 women's tournament garnered remarkable success in ratings and engagement despite a widespread drop in sports viewership since the start of the pandemic. While the men's championship game saw a 14% viewership dip compared to 2019 - the last NCAA tournament - the women's final saw more people tune in than in each of the past seven years. Ratings were up for the Sweet 16, Elite Eight, and Final Four as well.<div type="image" title="aari mcdonald paige bueckers" height="1666" width="2222" msid="82317039" hostid="261"></div>Ionescu attributed some of that success to the entire NCAA women's tournament being televised nationally on ESPN and that six games earned broadcast spots via ABC."It was awesome to be able to watch [players] show out in the NCAA tournament," Ionescu said. "And with a lot of people watching as well with them being on ESPN."As the only player in Division I history to record 2,000 points, 1,000 assists, and 1,000 rebounds in a career, Ionescu knows a thing or two about what it takes to be a star at the collegiate level.<div type="image" title="FILE - In this Nov. 16, 2019, file photo, Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu acknowledges the crowd with teammates after an NCAA college basketball game against Texas Southern in Eugene, Ore. Ionescu capped off a unprecedented college career by entering an exclusive club. Oregon's star guard was a unanimous choice Monday, March 23, 2020, as The Associated Press women's basketball player of the year. She was only the second player ever to the lone recipient of votes, joining Breanna Stewart, since the award was first given in 1995. (AP Photo/Chris Pietsch, FIle)" height="2284" width="3046" msid="82317040" hostid="261"></div>And even though she admits that she was mostly tuning in to this year's tournament to support her Ducks, she identified some young players outside of her alma mater who caught her eye during March Madness."The Pac-12 represented well, so Haley Jones and Cameron Brink from Stanford for sure," Ionescu said. "And then, of course, Paige Bueckers from UConn and Caitlin Clarke from Iowa. All those players had a great showout, and three of those players are really young!"

WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu got 'goosebumps' when players spoke out against inequality at the NCAA women's tournament

Good morning! Welcome back to <a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/10-things-in-politics">10 Things in Politics</a>, your weekday look at the biggest stories in DC and beyond. <a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/10-things-in-politics">Sign up here to receive this newsletter</a>.Send tips to <a href="mailto:bgriffiths@insider.com">bgriffiths@insider.com</a> or tweet me at <a href="https://twitter.com/BrentGriffiths">@BrentGriffiths</a>.Here's what we're talking about:<ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/liz-cheney-kevin-mccarthy-changed-his-story-capitol-riot-2021-5">Rep. Liz Cheney torched Trump and fellow Republicans who refuse to acknowledge he lost</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-supply-shortages-economy-inventory-chips-lumber-cars-toilet-paper-2021-5">There's a reason you might be having a hard time finding chicken wings, diapers, or a new car</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-virginia-republicans-chase-snyder-youngkin-cox-davis-cruz-endorsement-2021-5">Trump's absence from the Virginia GOP's governor race is making for a bonkers campaign</a></li></ul>One thing to look out for today: President Joe Biden travels to New Orleans and Lake Charles, Louisiana, to talk about his jobs plan.With Jordan Erb<hr />1. EXIT, STAGE RIGHT: Rep. Liz Cheney is not going quietly. The No. 3 House Republican is now expected to be <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/05/cheney-isnt-fighting-mccarthy-push-to-replace-her-in-leadership-485430">stripped of her leadership post as soon as next week</a>. On the same day former President Donald Trump and her fellow top House Republicans <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-backs-elise-stefanik-replace-liz-cheney-gop-leadership-2021-5">signaled their turns against her</a>, she wrote a scorching Washington Post op-ed article arguing that Trump's refusal to accept he lost the 2020 election was an unprecedented assault on American democracy. The Wyoming lawmaker also added <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/liz-cheney-kevin-mccarthy-changed-his-story-capitol-riot-2021-5">a parting blow to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy</a>.<ul><li><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/05/05/liz-cheney-republican-party-turning-point/">"The Republican Party is at a turning point," Cheney wrote:</a> "We Republicans need to stand for genuinely conservative principles, and steer away from the dangerous and anti-democratic Trump cult of personality."</li><li>This isn't her first fight: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/liz-cheney-republican-impeachment-trump-matt-gaetz-denver-riggleman-2021-2">She's tangled with her party many times going back to her pre-Congress days</a>.</li></ul>Trump's power is undeniable: Cheney is more conservative than Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, the lawmaker favored to take her post, by almost every measure. Cheney has higher lifetime marks from the <a href="http://ratings.conservative.org/people/C001109">American Conservative Union</a>, the <a href="https://www.clubforgrowth.org/scorecards/legislator/C001109/Liz-Cheney/">Club for Growth</a>, and <a href="https://heritageaction.com/scorecard/members/S001196/117">The Heritage Foundation's political arm</a>. And yet, none of this matters.<a href="https://twitter.com/club4growth/status/1390066187002843138"><div type="image" title="Screen Shot 2021 05 06 at 3.12.10 AM" height="524" width="1214" msid="82428931" hostid="261"></div></a>Stefanik is mainly following her district, The Washington Post's Paul Kane points out. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/stefanik-cheney-trump/2021/05/05/3a20c2a4-adbc-11eb-b476-c3b287e52a01_story.html?itid=ap_paulkane">She's switched from a more moderate member to a Trump loyalist as her district trends more Republican</a>.<ul><li>More details: Stefanik even voted against the party's 2017 tax law, the legislative achievement held so dear that many lawmakers refused to even consider <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-defends-tax-increases-average-multimillionaire-whispered-wealth-infrastructure-2021-5">President Joe Biden's efforts to revisit it to pay for infrastructure</a>. She was one of just 12 House GOP lawmakers to oppose the law, <a href="https://stefanik.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/stefanik-oppose-final-tax-bill">citing its cap on state-and-local-tax deductions</a>.</li></ul>Democrats are all too happy to spotlight the civil war: "<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/05/house-democrats-cheney-chaos-485451">It's a question of 'cult of personality' that if you're not 1,000% for Donald Trump somehow, you're not a good Republican</a>," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told The Washington Post during a live event.<ul><li>Even Biden weighed in: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-doesnt-understand-republicans-efforts-oust-cheney-from-house-leadership-2021-5">"I don't understand the Republicans," the president told reporters</a>.</li></ul><hr />2. Trump's absence from the Virginia GOP's governor race is making for a bonkers campaign: His absence is making for significant chaos as Republicans get ready to go to the polls Saturday to pick from a wide-open field that includes a millionaire first-timer, a woman who bills herself as "Trump in heels," and an establishment player backed by the former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-virginia-republicans-chase-snyder-youngkin-cox-davis-cruz-endorsement-2021-5">More on what to expect this weekend in our in-depth report</a>.<ul><li>Key quote: "Anybody who tells you they know what is happening is full of s---," one former Trump White House official keeping tabs on the state race told Insider.</li></ul><hr />3. White House supports waiving intellectual-property rights for COVID-19 vaccines: The move, sought by developing nations, would allow other countries to manufacture vaccines from Johnson &amp; Johnson, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Moderna without fear of sanctions at the World Trade Organization. The Biden administration had previously joined with the European Union in resisting the call. Pharmaceutical trade groups have argued that waiving IP rights would stymie innovation. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-administration-supports-waiving-ip-rights-for-covid-19-vaccines-2021-5">The announcement comes as India is experiencing its worst wave yet</a>.<hr /><div type="image" title="Screen Shot 2021 04 29 at 9.01.19 AM" height="1449" width="1933" msid="82428934" hostid="261"></div>4. Meet the Prince devotee teaching yoga and meditation to burned-out DC Democratic insiders: Reggie Hubbard is an Ivy League progressive activist turned yogi who has been helping his friends in politics heal through yoga, meditation, and - when the moment calls for it - the music of Prince. Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, during her previous job as a member of Congress, have taken classes with Hubbard. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/progressive-prince-yoga-meditation-burnout-capitol-hill-biden-democratic-politics-2021-5">More about the activist who has led protests and is a yoga guy</a>.<ul><li>Key quote: "I really value the fact that Reggie is this unicorn and he is someone who is both in the movement and someone who was thinking a lot about the health and well-being of the movement," said Muthoni Wambu Kraal, the Democratic National Committee's national political and organizing director last cycle.</li></ul><hr />5. A federal judge scrapped a nationwide moratorium on evictions: Judge Dabney Friedrich ruled that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention overstepped its authority when the moratorium was put in place during the Trump administration. It is now set to expire June 30. The ruling adds further chaos to the system that has continued to evict some renters <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/05/05/federal-judge-vacates-cdcs-nationwide-eviction-moratorium/">because of loopholes and different interpretations</a>, The Post reports. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/federal-judge-blocks-eviction-moratorium-cdc-2021-5">The Biden administration quickly appealed the decision and is fighting to delay Friedrich's ruling from taking effect</a>.<hr />6. Conservatives are apoplectic over Trump's Facebook ban: Trump, his former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, and other conservative lawmakers torched the Facebook review board's decision not to immediately let him back on the platform. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-facebook-social-media-republicans/2021/05/05/919cb430-adb1-11eb-acd3-24b44a57093a_story.html">Republicans framed the decision as an example of social-media bias against conservatives</a>.<ul><li>What's next: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg pledged to obey whatever the mostly independent board decided, but the board didn't fully come down on one side. It agreed with the initial decision to suspend Trump's account but also slammed the indefinite nature of the punishment, saying it was "indeterminate and standardless." <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-donald-trump-oversight-board-ban-account-capitol-siege-2021-4">It urged Facebook to review its decision within six months</a>.</li></ul><hr />7. Caitlyn Jenner repeatedly mentioned her private plane in an interview with Sean Hannity: "My friends are leaving California," Jenner, who is running to be California's governor, told the Fox News host. "My hangar, the guy right across, he was packing up his hangar and I said, 'Where are you going?' And he says, 'I'm moving to Sedona, Arizona, I can't take it anymore. I can't walk down the streets and see the homeless.'" <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/caitlyn-jenner-planes-better-than-high-speed-trains-hannity-2021-5">More from the interview here</a>.<hr />8. Thieves jacked the Republican National Committee for fancy cups of Joe: Fraudsters stole almost $44,000 just before the 2020 election from the Republican National Committee - another in a string of thefts from prominent federal political operations. The thieves spent more than $35,500 of the RNC's money at EZ Coffee &amp; Tea, a Pennsylvania-based merchant that sells various products including high-end espresso machines. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/republican-national-committee-theft-fraud-money-fec-elections-2021-5">The RNC initially described the thefts as "office supplies" purchases</a>.<hr />9. A GOP-backed Arizona auditing group is burrowing through ballots in search of bamboo fibers and Chinese paper: The group wants to prove the far-fetched theory that 40,000 ballots for Biden were flown in from Asia and smuggled into the state. The theory rests on the idea that tracings of bamboo would prove the ballots were created abroad, even though not all paper made from bamboo is milled in Asia; in fact, there are several bamboo forests in the US. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/maricopa-county-election-auditors-searching-for-bamboo-in-the-ballots-2021-5">More on the heavily criticized recount effort here</a>.<hr /><div type="image" title="GettyImages 1212992700" height="2664" width="3553" msid="82428936" hostid="261"></div>10. There's a reason you might be having a hard time finding chicken wings, diapers, or a new car: The above photo is from March 2020, but as the US economy continues to reopen it's now seeing a shortage of items as varied as computer chips, corn, bacon, and hot dogs. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-supply-shortages-economy-inventory-chips-lumber-cars-toilet-paper-2021-5">Insider rounded up some of the major supply shortages and explained why they're lagging</a>.<hr />One last thing.Today's trivia question: A relative of this world leader is credited with creating what became the FBI. Who was he? Hint: He was a complex man. Email your guess and a suggested question to me at <a href="mailto:bgriffiths@insider.com">bgriffiths@insider.com</a>.<ul><li>Yesterday's answer: The NASA astronaut Alan Shepard is the only person to have played golf on the moon. The United States Golf Association, which has the makeshift club he used, even went back to <a href="https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/articles/2021/02/shepard-moon-club-50th-anniversary-usga-museum.html">calculate the distances of his drives based on photographs of where the balls landed</a>.</li></ul>

10 Things in Politics: Cheney goes down swinging in Trump fight

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Shaq reignited the debate on lowering the rims in <keyword id="5919286" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="womens-basketball">women's basketball</keyword> during an "<keyword id="9054564" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="nba-on-tnt">NBA on TNT</keyword>" segment.</li><li>Bringing down the hoops in pursuit of more <keyword id="152792" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="WNBA">WNBA</keyword> and NCAA women's basksetball dunks is a dumb idea.</li><li>It would be "offensive" to force stars to relearn the game and discredit those who can already dunk.</li></ul>For as long as the WNBA has been around, laymen and experts alike have offered up ideas for altering the game in a misguided attempt to make the women's side of basketball more appealing to a broader audience.<div type="image" title="Shaq" height="1331" width="1780" msid="81784426" hostid="261"></div>Shaquille O'Neal was the latest contestant to partake in this all-too-common game of fixing something that isn't broken. He offered unsolicited advice to two-time WNBA MVP <keyword id="25669" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Candace-Parker">Candace Parker</keyword> during a recent segment of "NBA on TNT." The NBA Hall of Famer suggested that the perfect way to make the NBA and the WNBA "equal" would be to "lower the rim so y'all can dunk like we dunk.""That'll give y'all more 'oomph' than you already have," Shaq added.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-gifdsports (@gifdsports) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1372066565085073408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2021</a></blockquote>Parker didn't give his suggestion much consideration, rolling her eyes and responding with a simple "no." Though curt, the six-time first-team All-WNBA selection and reigning Defensive Player of the Year's reaction spoke volumes. Women in basketball - even those of Parker's caliber - are constantly subjected to the unfortunate and, frankly, annoying take that their play is essentially worthless without dunks.Shaq's ill-advised suggestion opened the floodgates, empowering men across the internet to second his sentiment that yes, they'd give <keyword id="1739459" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Womens-Sports">women's sports</keyword> a chance if only they adapted to be more like men's <keyword id="6356028" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports">sports</keyword>. And even though many have explained the reasons for keeping the rims where they are, here is why lowering the hoops in pursuit of women's basketball dunks is a dumb idea.<div type="image" title="elena delle donne block" height="1666" width="2222" msid="81784427" hostid="261"></div><h2>Let's start with the obvious - many women can already dunk</h2>Shaq seems to have missed that <a href="https://www.insider.com/wnba-players-dunk-video-highlights-2020-9">WNBA stars have dunked</a> throughout the league's 25-year history. In 2002, Los Angeles Sparks legend Lisa Leslie became the first player to dunk in a WNBA game. Since then, six other players have joined her in the WNBA dunking club - and Parker is one of them.The now-Chicago Sky star first dunked in a Sparks game in 2008, slamming a cherry on top of her historic rookie campaign as the only player to win Rookie of the Year and league MVP in the same season. Here's the highlight:<iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/ofh1ru" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe>At least two current NCAA <keyword id="6312906" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Womens-college-basketball">women's college basketball</keyword> stars showed off their hops this season. <a href="https://www.insider.com/womens-college-basketball-star-fran-belibi-dunks-stanford-practice-2020-10">Stanford forward Fran Belibi</a> threw down a <a href="https://www.insider.com/video-stanford-womens-basketball-fran-belibi-dunks-in-game-2020-12">handful of dunks</a> during the Cardinal's 2020-2021 campaign. And the Oregon Ducks' in-house TikTok star, 6-foot-7 sophomore Sedona Prince, silenced naysayers by sharing a <a href="https://twitter.com/GoDucks/status/1375598852124762112">one-handed slam in warm-ups</a> during the NCAA tournament.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-shaqs-13-year-old-daughter-mearah-oneal-dunk-highlights-2020-2">Even Shaq's own daughter can dunk</a> on a regulation rim! When she was 13, Me'arah O'Neal rose for a dunk on a 10-foot hoop in a video shared by her brother, LSU Tigers star Shareef O'Neal.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Shareef O’Neal (@SSJreef) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1232458101753700352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2020</a></blockquote><h2>Players would have to completely relearn the game</h2>In 2018, <keyword id="3696962" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Nneka-Ogwumike">Nneka Ogwumike</keyword> - a superstar in her own right and the president of the Women's National Basketball Players Association - brilliantly explained why questioning the height of the baskets is "probably one of the most offensive questions you can ask a WNBA player.""It's not logical to ask us to do that," she said. "We're constantly being compared to men. We have people excelling at a 10-foot rim. And now, you want us to lower the rim so we can continuously be compared, only to still be criticized. Because now, you have someone like me who has done what she's done - now I have to relearn the game to appease people who don't want to watch it for what it is."<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-The Undefeated (@TheUndefeated) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1063078668887441408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2018</a></blockquote>The six-time All-Star and 2016 WNBA MVP has a point; lowering the rim would force players like herself and Parker to adapt their shooting strokes, approaches to rebounding, floor positioning, and so much more. And even then, there's a decent chance that the switch would not compel critics to tune in.<div type="image" title="nneka ogwumike" height="844" width="1125" msid="81784429" hostid="261"></div>Ogwumike echoed similar sentiments while speaking in a Clubhouse room hosted by Insider in early March. The <a href="https://twitter.com/LASparks/status/1375139287079944192">LA Sportsperson of the Year</a> said the dunking narrative is "played out." Anyone suggesting women's basketball needs more dunks to be interesting, Ogwumike added, would almost certainly find some other excuse not to watch if the league granted their wish.She and others who partook in the conversation also noted that basketball isn't all about dunking. <h2>Some of the NBA's best and brightest aren't known for their dunking ability</h2>No one tunes into a Golden State Warriors game expecting Steph Curry to put his opponents on a poster. The two-time NBA MVP has only thrown down some 30 dunks in his 12 seasons in the league.<div type="image" title="steph curry 2021" height="1125" width="1500" msid="81784431" hostid="261"></div>Still, Curry has long been one of the most exciting and engaging players in the pros. His jerseys are regularly among the top-10 highest-selling threads in the NBA. And even though he commands one of the league's top salaries, the seven-time All-Star makes even more money each year from endorsements.Curry isn't the only NBA superstar with megawatt brand value who isn't much of a dunker. James Harden, Chris Paul, Kyrie Irving, Trae Young, and plenty of other All-Stars rarely rise above the rim, if at all.It stands to reason that fans of those players are not watching basketball solely for the dunks. And maybe they could strike up an interest in stars on the women's side whose games resemble Curry's and other backcourt players in the NBA, including Sabrina Ionescu, Diana Taurasi, Arike Ogunbowale, Paige Bueckers, and Caitlin Clark.<h2>The WNBA and NCAA women's basketball have already achieved record-breaking successes</h2><div type="image" title="breanna stewart.JPG" height="1333" width="1778" msid="81784432" hostid="261"></div>2020 was a standout year for the WNBA on the engagement front. Thanks to a massive broadcast deal with ESPN, the league had more televised games than ever before. <a href="https://www.swishappeal.com/wnba/21507979/wnba-finals-2020-viewership-ratings-up-cathy-engelbert-espn">Unprecedented viewership</a> followed as the WNBA saw a 68% increase in its regular-season audience, a 15% viewership jump for the finals, and 30% more engagement across social media.The 2021 <keyword id="10940397" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ncaa-womens-tournament">NCAA women's tournament</keyword> has significant momentum as well, and it's little surprise given that this year marks the first in which all women's March Madness games were <a href="https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2021/03/womens-ncaa-tournament-ratings-abc-pga-tour-wrestling-ufc/#:~:text=Women's%20NCAA%20Tournament%20sees%20high,opening%20round%20audience%20since%202010.010.">carried on national television</a>. <a href="https://theathletic.com/news/march-madness-mens-womens-regional-semifinals-deliver-high-viewership/ErKLCFHclmKH">According to The Athletic</a>, <a href="https://www.insider.com/march-madness-most-anticipated-matchup-paige-bueckers-vs-caitlin-clark-2021-3">UConn and Iowa's Sweet Sixteen matchup</a> garnered 1.6 million viewers, while 1.7 million people watched as <a href="https://www.insider.com/lebron-james-complains-baylor-uconn-foul-no-call-elite-eight-2021-3">UConn downed Baylor in the Elite Eight</a>.<div type="image" title="paige bueckers.JPG" height="1549" width="2065" msid="81784433" hostid="261"></div>Perhaps the WNBA and NCAA women's basketball can win over fans without lowering the rims after all; it certainly looks like they already have.And I'd implore Shaq and others engaging in the "women need to dunk" narrative to consider this; perhaps it's not the product on the court that needs fixing so much as the system that has routinely denied women's basketball its proper share of the spotlight.

You Searched For "sedona prince" and got 9 results

Sedona Prince is tackling coffee's 'dirty not-so-little secret' and extending their advocacy to the environment

Meredith Cash

4 college basketball stars blasted the NCAA for the 'crazy' 2021 March Madness weight room scandal

Meredith Cash

Instagram introduces paywall for creators to monetize content through subscriptions

Rahul Verma

The NCAA apologized after getting caught in a lie about the wildly different equipment provided to men's and women's basketball players

Meredith Cash

Dick's Sporting Goods says it will provide equipment to women's NCAA tournament after viral photos showed fitness room was lacking

Mary Meisenzahl

Supreme Court's ruling for college athletes would mean big business for endorsement startups

Jackson Thompson

WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu got 'goosebumps' when players spoke out against inequality at the NCAA women's tournament

Meredith Cash

10 Things in Politics: Cheney goes down swinging in Trump fight

Brent D. Griffiths

No, we shouldn't lower the rim for more dunks in women's basketball

Meredith Cash