March Madness is upon us, and the excitement of college basketball is here. This year feels particularly timely as the women’s game continues to gain momentum from last year’s biggest college-turned-pro hoop stars, such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, to this year’s biggest names, Paige Bueckers and Juju Watkins.

As we wait to see how our brackets perform, a little-known fact is that this year’s March Madness women’s teams will be paid for playing for as long as the teams remain in the tournament. Yes, the NCAA, in a unanimous vote, agreed that women’s teams should have parity to the men’s teams (FYI, the men’s teams have received payment for the number of rounds a team played in since 1991).

To be clear, it’s not the players themselves that get paid but the team as a whole that will receive “performance units” for every game. How does this work, exactly? Starting in the 2025 season, a combined $15 million will be awarded to the teams competing in March Madness as part of the women’s basketball revenue deal, per CBS News. The following year, payment will increase to $20 million and then $25 million for the 2027-28 fiscal year.

“The units earned will be paid out to the schools starting in 2026 on a rolling three-year basis,” CBS reports. “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.” College basketball programs will then be able to use this money how they want to, distributing it across expenses such as funding, travel, facilities, scholarships, coaching salaries, etc.

This sort of financial equity is huge considering the longtime history of pay and investment disparities in men’s and women’s sports. PS spoke with current and former women’s college basketball players to get their take on this decision and what this means for the future of women’s college basketball.

“I don’t think it’s hit too much just yet,” says Kentucky Wildcats center and SEC Defensive Player of the Year, Clara Strack. “As a team, we all just want to win no matter what; that’s our competitiveness, but this is a whole new wave for college athletics.”

Shakira Austin, a WNBA player for the Washington Mystics, says this has been a long time coming. “It’s a little bit absurd that it’s taken this long, but I’m super happy that it’s finally taking that next step,” Austin says. “I missed out on this, but I’m so happy for the student-athletes who can receive this benefit.”

“We’ve always known as women, as female athletes, that we were valuable — that our sport was no different than our counterparts, and without society monetizing it, it did not hold the same value.”

Courtney Johnson Clendinen, a standout record-holder in steals for the University of California in the early 2000s agrees with Austin. “It’s obviously about time,” she says, crediting the recent monetization and investment in professional women’s sports for the March Madness decision. It wasn’t until 2022 that the March Madness branding and logo were extended to the women’s tournament, and in that same year, the women’s field expanded to 68 teams — something that has been a mainstay on the men’s side since 2011.

Last year’s women’s title game drew 18.9 million viewers, for the first time garnering more viewership than the men’s, as South Carolina defeated Caitlyn Clark’s Iowa team. The success and increased visibility of women’s college basketball have resulted in a first-ever full media rights contract where for the first time, during March Madness 2025, every women’s game will be aired on television.

“I think any time our society has shown that when you monetize something, it then brings value that other people determine is valuable, right? We’ve always known as women, as female athletes, that we were valuable — that our sport was no different than our counterparts, and without society monetizing it, it did not hold the same value,” Clendinen says. “For my two sons to see the women in commercials and to see them being marketed in the same way that they’re seeing males is becoming their norm. I think it’s incredible, because now athletes have the power, and it’s changing that dynamic in the sports world.”

The March Madness decision marks a shift in perspective around what women’s basketball has to offer. Brands have already caught onto the potential, as the NCAA decision comes at a time when athletes are finding more direct financial opportunities with name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals and brand partnerships.

Strack, for example, has a partnership deal with Intuit Turbo Tax which provides tax education and guidance for NIL-earning athletes, while Austin, is currently partnered with Tylenol to better support women athletes recovering from injuries, including WNBA players.

As these athletes continue to become household names, the demand for equal coverage, resources, and opportunities will continue to rise. As legendary hall of fame coach, Dawn Staley shared in an interview, “…There is a return on your investment when you pour into our game.”

And as the game grows, this marketability will become undeniable. “We’ve been putting out better numbers than the men’s side, so it’s great that brands are starting to recognize this. NIL and college opportunities to make money are uplifting and are speeding up the process for the next level,” Austin says.

The TLDR: Women’s basketball is in its bag and on the road to getting the bag…finally. As the game continues to grow, I hope that more brands look to partner with these athletes and that the NCAA and broadcasting networks will continue to show, not just tell, them what they are worth.

“I think it should just continue the growth that it has now. Keep watching and talking about women’s basketball,” Strack says. “I think the more people that continue to talk about it, the more attention it will draw.”

Ralinda Watts is an author, diversity expert, consultant, practitioner, speaker, and proven thought leader who works at the intersection of race, identity, culture, and justice. She has contributed to numerous publications such as PS, CBS Media, Medium, YahooLifestyle, and the Los Angeles Times.