How This NCAA Female Athlete Used TikTok To Pressure Change

When male athletes entered their official NCAA weight room for the March Madness national tournament, they were greeted with various intricate and expensive workout equipment. A massive array of weights, machines, and other amenities decorated the room, a seemingly strong showing of organization and hospitality by the NCAA. That is until we got a glimpse of the female weight room.

In a video that’s now been viewed millions of times, Oregon Ducks’ forward Sedona Prince posted a TikTok of her team’s workout equipment, which looked highly lackluster compared to their male counterparts. 

The clip showed a panoramic of a vastly empty room, which contained only a small set of 6 dumbbells and a few yoga mats. The disparity was shockingly apparent, and Sedona Prince would later testify that the inequality was due to a misconception that female athletes don’t lift weights. 

The NCAA’s original statement regarding the significant differences argued that there wasn’t enough space for a substantial female weight room. Still, Sedona Prince’s video showed a large area of the building to be unoccupied.

In the clip, she notes, “If you aren’t upset about this problem, you’re a part of it,” captioning the video with #inequality and #fightforchange. 

After the story went viral on TikTok and Twitter, other athletes, celebrities, and news outlets began voicing their concerns to the NCAA, with notable figures like Stephen Curry. Kyrie Irving and Vanessa Bryant using their large platforms to spread awareness of the issue.

Via Twitter, Stephen Curry wrote, “Wow-come on now! @marchmadness @NCAA y’all trippin trippin.” 

The exposure led to Dick’s Sporting Goods offering to supply the needed gear, tweeting out, “@NCAA Our teammates have worked quickly to get truckloads of fitness equipment ready to send to the women’s @ncaawbb @marchmadness bubble – we are standing by to deliver it and have your facility outfitted within hours! Let’s make this happen.”

Since then, the room has undergone a complete renovation and has been updated to include more equipment, racks, dumbbells, and plates. Sedona Prince posted an update video on her Twitter, writing, “Social media is powerful. Thank you for all of y’alls support.”