Annually, from mid-March to early April, the United States hosts the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments. Popularly dubbed “March Madness,” these championships generate immense enthusiasm among fans and extensive media coverage.
While both men’s and women’s tournaments occur, “March Madness” typically refers to the men’s tournament—a knockout competition involving 68 teams across seven rounds. The 2022 women’s championship saw the South Carolina Gamecocks triumph over the UConn Huskies, while the men’s championship game featured the North Carolina Tar Heels against the Kansas Jayhawks in New Orleans.
TOURNAMENT: According to the NCAA website, the inaugural NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament took place in 1939, becoming an annual event until the 2019-20 season when it was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The tournament, initially featuring eight teams and won by the Oregon Ducks, expanded to 16 teams in 1951 and 64 teams in 1985. Since 2011, the tournament has involved 68 teams. UCLA leads with 11 championships, 10 of which were secured between 1964 and 1975. The Baylor Bears secured the 2021 championship.
ORIGIN OF TERM: In 1939, an Illinois high school official, Henry V Porter, first used the term “March Madness” in the context of basketball. CBS broadcaster Brent Musburger introduced it to the NCAA tournament in 1982. Since then, the term has become synonymous with the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament.
GENDER INEQUITY: Long-standing accusations of gender discrimination in the NCAA tournaments have surfaced. A review by civil rights litigator Roberta A Kaplan and her law firm, published in August 2021, highlighted the NCAA’s financial bias toward the men’s tournament, fostering gender inequity. The report stated that the NCAA’s structures and culture prioritize Division I men’s basketball, perpetuating gender disparities without systems to identify or address them. A viral TikTok video by Oregon player Sedona Prince in the previous year underscored gender disparities, particularly in the weight rooms at the men’s and women’s tournaments, sparking widespread attention to the issue.