CLEVELAND — NCAA president Charlie Baker said Sunday that he is shooting for unit distribution for the NCAA women’s tournament beginning with the 2024-25 season.
Currently, teams that make the women’s NCAA tournament currently do not earn anything financially, unlike teams that make the men’s NCAA tournament, where units are awarded to conferences for each game played before being distributed to schools. Women’s coaches have been asking for years for that system to change, not only for equity’s sake, but as a way to acknowledge the growth of the game.
Now it is on the verge of happening, thanks in part to a new eight-year contract with ESPN to broadcast 40 NCAA championships — including women’s basketball.
“We just signed a new contract with ESPN and women’s basketball is a big and important part of that deal,” Baker said. “It will also send a huge signal to women’s basketball generally about the fact you play in the tournament, you do well, you will benefit financially as well as in the other ways.”
While nothing has been approved just yet, Baker said the finance committee targeted 2024-25 after the ESPN deal got…
