Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) joined Co-Chairs of the Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) Congresswomen Lois Frankel (FL-21), Jackie Speier (CA-14) and Brenda Lawrence (MI-14) and Vice Chairs Congresswomen Veronica Escobar (TX-16) and Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), as well as Congresswomen Carolyn Maloney (NY-12), Chairwoman of the Oversight and Reform Committee, and Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) in sending a letter to over 60 NCAA Division I schools. The Members are calling on the schools to urge NCAA leadership and its Board of Governors to prevent sex discrimination in its programs and activities and to meaningfully address and incorporate the damning findings and valuable recommendations of the External Gender Equity Review conducted by Kaplan, Hecker, Fink LLP.

“The Kaplan review affirmed what we knew: ‘the NCAA has not lived up to its stated commitment to ‘diversity, inclusion and gender equity among its student-athletes, coaches and administrators,’” the Members wrote. “The review acknowledged that the NCAA has previously engaged in both internal and external gender equity review efforts, noting that ‘all too often, the proposed reforms that came out of these efforts ended up doing no more than sitting on a shelf.’ We must no longer allow the NCAA to pay mere lip service to progress.”

The Members wrote, “… the review notes that ‘in both practice and perception, women’s basketball essentially reports to and is subordinate to men’s basketball,’ and ‘the resources allocated to men’s and women’s basketball differ significantly, even taking into account the differences in the size of the tournaments. Or as Stanford Women’s Basketball Coach Tara Vanderveer so eloquently summarized at a recent event, ‘This spring, the men had lobster bisque and ribeye. [Women] had a salisbury steak and had to order out from DoorDash.’ ”

The Kaplan review also highlighted the NCAA’s culture and structures that promote discrimination, notably its broadcast agreements, corporate sponsorship contracts, distribution of revenue, and organizational structure that all prioritize Division I men’s basketball over everything else “in ways that create, normalize, and perpetuate gender inequities.” The review also found that these disparities are bad for business, with the NCAA leaving money on the table that could be generated by women’s basketball if given the opportunity. 

“These disparities are contrary to the letter and spirit of Title IX and undermine efforts to promote gender equality,” the Members wrote. “As a recipient of federal funding, your academic institution is responsible for ensuring equity in athletic opportunities for students regardless of sex. That responsibility does not cease just because certain aspects of your athletics program are controlled by an athletic association, and in fact, recipients are prohibited from aiding or perpetuating discrimination against any person by providing significant assistance to any organization that discriminates on the basis of sex.”

A copy of the letter can be accessed HERE.

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