As two of the most legendary women’s college basketball coaches in history face off during Sunday’s national championship game, the pair spent part of Saturday advocating for a more favorable media rights setup for their sport.
Asked about whether or not the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament should have its own media rights deal, separated from the dozens of other collegiate sports championships that are part of the current agreement, both coaches agreed that it’s something that needs to be explored.
“We need our own television deal so we can understand what our worth is,” South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said during a press conference on Saturday.
Currently, the women’s tournament finds itself as part of an eight-year, $920 million media rights contract with ESPN that also includes every other NCAA championship event other than the men’s basketball tournament and the College Football Playoff. That deal, which was signed last year and went into effect this year, valued the women’s basketball tournament at about $65 million of the $115 million that ESPN pays the NCAA annually.
However, many believe that the women’s tournament could fetch much more than $65 million per year on its own. According to a third-party study cited by Front Office Sports, the women’s basketball tournament could secure between $81 million and $112 million as an independent entity.
“For years and years and years we’ve been packaged with all the other Olympic sports, so to speak, in one big chunk. Can we completely separate ourselves and say, ‘What are we worth to you?'” UConn head coach Geno Auriemma told the press on Saturday.
It seems unlikely that ESPN would willingly exit its eight-year agreement, which goes through 2032, especially if the network believes it’s getting a good deal. But enough public outcry, especially from the sport’s top coaches, could earn women’s college basketball some concessions, even if it’s not a new media deal.