Southpaw 26: The NCAA's Problems Are Compounding
This week showed us just how ugly things could get. (Also, an update on Southpaw.)
Dear Readers,
Some quick, back-of-the-napkin math tells us that, since this is the 26th issue of Southpaw, we’ve been doing this for half a year now. It’s been a lot of lots of fun, and although we’d probably churn one of these puppies out every week even if no one was reading them, we’ve been thrilled to get so much engagement and and feedback from all of you. Thank you for reading, and we hope you’ll stick with us for the next sixth months (and beyond).
To mark this special half-versary—or, maybe, as a coincidence—we’ve been working on an exciting new project. We can’t share it with you quite yet, but we’ve decided to take a couple of weeks off writing regular essays for the newsletter to give us some time to focus on our other project. If you’ve gotten used to the ritual of getting Southpaw in your inbox on Sunday morning, don’t worry—we’ll continue to bring you some brief comments and a Rodney’s Roundup until we get back to producing the full newsletter.
Again, thank you for your support, and we’re looking forward to sharing the work we’ve got coming down the pipeline.
Now, for a little content.
-Calder and Ian
The NCAA had a very, very, very bad week. It’s only going to get worse.
This week marked the start of March Madness, and if you thought the pandemic would be the only hiccup in the usual running of the tournament, well, think again. In the past week, several storylines have converged to thrust the NCAA’s brazen mistreatment of its athletes—and its almost gleeful disregard for its female players in particular—into the spotlight. Here’s a summary, in a few tweets:
In lieu of an original take from the two of us, we’ve compiled a list of excellent pieces from around the mediasphere highlighting the NCAA’s various cruelties, stupidities, and misdeeds—and athletes’ courageous efforts to push back against them:
“NCAA’s message to women’s players: You’re worth less,” by Sally Jenkins in The Washington Post (March 19, 2021).
“They’ve Seen This Before,” by Maitreyi Anantharaman for Defector (March 19, 2021).
“There’s no space for the NCAA’s inequitable treatment of women’s basketball players,” by Tara Sullivan for The Boston Globe (March 20, 2021).
“Bad news for the NCAA and its March Madness scam: The ‘amateurs’ are onto them,” by Barry Svrluga in The Washington Post (March 20, 2021).
“Frustration Over Perceived Exploitation May Lead to Player Strike During NCAA Tournament,” by Nicole Auerbach in The Athletic (March 18, 2021).
“NCAA vows to improve conditions at women’s basketball tournament, as outcry continues,” by Molly Hensley-Clancy in The Washington Post (March 19, 2021).
As many of these pieces point out, the NCAA’s sexist bungling of this year’s tournament set-ups is bad, but the NCAA’s problems run much, much deeper than that. If there’s been a silver lining to this week’s headlines, it’s that they’ve helped to dispel any lingering illusion that the NCAA respects its players or cares about their well-being. And in the long term, that’s might be a good thing.
RODNEY’S ROUNDUP
Do you want to read about . . .
. . . the GOP’s snowballing efforts to ban transgender women from competing in women’s sports? “How Some States Are Moving to Restrict Transgender Women in Sports,” by Gillian Brassil in The New York Times (March 11, 2021).
. . . new developments in the science of diagnosing brain damage, and how they might affect the NFL? “Will the NFL Survive the New Science of Brain Damage?” by Dave Zirin in The Nation (March 18, 2021).
. . . some new polling data on the National Anthem wars? “Axios-Ipsos poll: The growing sports divide over race and politics,” by David Nather for Axios (March 21, 2020).