Bass, Berry & Sims attorney Audrey Anderson was interviewed on WSMV News 4 Nashville about the women’s gym accommodations for the NCAA tournament. Many were outraged after photos were posted on social media last week comparing the inequitable accommodations between the men’s and women’s training accommodations at the NCAA tournament.
Unfortunately, the disproportionate gym setups probably do not qualify as a Title IX violation in the tournament setting, according to Audrey. First of all, Title IX only applies to recipients of federal funding, which means it probably does not apply directly to the NCAA. And while Title IX does apply to the colleges and universities participating in the tournament, “you’d have to have a whole lot more to show that overall women’s opportunities at a particular college were not equivalent or treatment was not equivalent to men’s treatment,” Audrey said. “I think that the realm of public opinion is probably a much more effective route for these young women participating in the tournament than Title IX would be.”
Following the viral coverage of this story across social media and other outlets, by Saturday morning, it appears that the women in the tournament had access to training facilities that were comparable to those enjoyed by the men.
The full interview aired during the March 19 10:00 p.m. broadcast and is available online here.