Photo Credit: USA Today
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We are here. The night of the NCAA Women’s National Championship game. AT the start of the tournament, the NCAA did something ridiculous. When they set up the workout room, there was not that much equipment. All of the teams that were there took to social media to vent as they should have. Just last week, on the Bulls-Eye podcast, I and my co-host Larry Frank talked about how ridiculous it was that racism and sexism still exist in society and sports. This is a perfect example of how many consider women’s sports a second thought in sports. I know that men’s sports make more money and that is why many care more about their sports than women’s. I know that I am going to get grief about this topic. I might be one of the few sports fans that like many sports which included women’s sports.
On Friday night, the number one overall seed, the Connecticut Huskies, were defeated by the Arizona Wildcats. This was an upset of major proportions because many thought they would be in the final. On the flip side, the Stanford Cardinals beat the South Carolina Gamecocks. That was a game that came down to the wire as the Cardinals won a Gamecocks miss. There will probably be many that will not care who wins between Arizona and Stanford. I am not saying or forcing people to watch the game. I will tune in because it is exciting to watch college basketball. These women are trying to earn the respect of sports fans. In the end, they are athletes no matter what sex they are. The NCAA needs to treat them just like the men. They make money no matter what. They make more money than most professional leagues.
Many of the coaches believe that the NCAA feels like women’s basketball is an afterthought. They had three weeks to get it right and fumbled the ball. It was not just the weight room like I mentioned earlier, it was also the condition of the floors. Many felt that after the gym situation was fixed it was just a band-aid. It was the NCAA trying to save face. The women that play in this are student-athletes that have to meet academic requirements to play in the tournament. They know they are not drawing billions of viewers but they are happy to draw half a billion. Like I mentioned earlier, the money will still come in. The NCAA needs to wake up and treat all of its athletes with equal treatment.
This is the same sort of stuff the USA Women’s national soccer team is dealing with. They are trying to get equal pay. I think women’s sports will become more important to many sports fans. I will not say all because some do not care about them or just will not watch. Next year, the NCAA better do a better job when they put together the women’s national championship. They deserve to be treated better than they did this year. I, for one, hope this will not be repeated. It will be exciting to see who wins the National Championship whether that is the Arizona Wildcats or Stanford Cardinal.
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Bradley Walker serves as the Director of Operations for NGSC Sports, bringing extensive experience across collegiate, professional, and amateur athletics. His coverage spans USF Athletics, including football, baseball, lacrosse, and softball, as well as University of Tampa baseball.
Bradley also provides coverage of minor league baseball with the Clearwater Threshers and Major League Baseball with the Tampa Bay Rays. On the national stage, he covers college football bowl games and conference championship matchups, along with premier golf events across the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and LPGA Tour.
In addition to his reporting work, Bradley is the play-by-play announcer for Pinellas Park High School Patriots football, lending his voice and insight to Friday night lights.
He is also an active podcast host and contributor, serving as a co-host on the P&W Sports Report and hosting The Walker Report, where he delivers in-depth sports analysis, interviews, and coverage across multiple levels of competition.
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