In a move to help close the pay gap between men and women in college sports, the NCAA will now pay Division I women’s basketball teams who play in March Madness games starting this year.
After a historic vote on Wednesday, women’s teams will now receive “performance units” for every game they play in the NCAA Tournament. Met with a round of applause at the NCAA’s convention in Nashville, Tennessee, the unanimous vote was the final buzzer-beater in establishing a pay structure for women competing in March Madness.
The change comes as men’s basketball teams have been a part of revenue-sharing plans for years. But with a surge in popularity surrounding women’s basketball, the NCAA’s Board of Governors voted unanimously for the proposal in August. Wednesday’s vote solidified the details.
Starting in the 2025 season, a combined $15 million will be awarded to the teams, which makes up 26% of the women’s basketball media revenue deal. It will increase to $20 million for the 2026-27 fiscal year and reach $25 million starting with the 2027-28 fiscal year. The units earned will be paid out to the schools starting in 2026 on a rolling three-year basis.
The longer a school stays in the tournament, the more units the school’s conference receives. With a Final Four appearance, a team could bring its conference $1.26 million over the next three years. The revenue distribution plan for the women’s tournament is similar to the men’s.
“This is a historic day for women’s sports, women’s basketball and the NCAA,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said in a statement. “We have made investing in women’s sports a priority, and today’s vote means our members have the opportunity to do even more on campus to promote and support female athletes. I can’t wait to see all the incredible things they do.”
Last year’s women’s national championship game drew in record attendance and also saw 18.7 million viewers tune in, becoming the most-watched women’s college basketball game ever with an 89% increase from the 2023 championship game. It also outdrew the men’s national championship game by 3 million viewers.
Viewing records were set across all six rounds as fans watched outstanding players like Iowa’s Caitlin Clark take on South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley and the undefeated Gamecocks. Other players who contributed to the boost in viewership were LSU’s Angel Reese, USC’s JuJu Watkins and UConn’s Paige Bueckers.
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Bueckers, who is expected to be a top pick in the 2025 WNBA draft if she decides not to return to the Huskies for another year, said revenue sharing is a step in the right direction. “I think that’s huge, just for women’s hoop, continuing to capitalize on what we’ve brought to the sport and what we do for just sport in general and entertainment,” Bueckers told reporters.
“It’s capitalizing on the momentum that’s out there,” UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said. “It’s a statement that they made today about where women’s basketball fits into the big picture of college athletics.”
The women’s NCAA Tournament will start March 19 in Tampa, Florida.
