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Diasabra 2 aPriL 2022

Staley wary equity strides for women’s tourney will continue

After a scathing report is- nered national attention the
sued last summer about nu- On Thursday, the trio in- past year with critics taking
merous inequities between troduced the Gender Equity NCAA leadership to task in
how men’s teams are treated in College Sports Commis- 2021 after Oregon’s Sedona
compared with the women, sion act designed to create a Prince posted a social me-
Staley is torn about whether 16-person bipartisan panel dia video about the inequi-
the NCAA can make lasting to study the issue across all ties, particularly the weight
strides. NCAA sports. rooms.

“It’s good what we’re hear- Speier said in a release the Louisville coach Jeff Walz be-
ing,” she said. “But is it some- NCAA had made “pathetic lieves that tournament orga-
thing that’s going to last four, progress towards correcting nizers made mistakes, but too
five years down the road?” the deeply misogynistic at- much was made of the differ-
titudes and treatment of the ences in weight rooms.
She is not alone. women’s teams compared to
the men’s teams.” Waltz said the disparity was
Two weeks ago, it was three “blown way out of propor-
(AP) — Putting women on added sitting at her down- members of Congress who Stanford coach Tara tion” and that he has “never
the same level with men town hotel two blocks from said the NCAA had taken VanDerveer has dealt with been a big proponent of ev-
when it comes to swag the Target Center, where the little more than “short-term inequality issues for all of her erything has to be the same”
bags and logos is a start- Gamecocks will play Louis- steps” toward bridging the 36 years with the program. for men and women to have
ing point, and for Dawn ville on Friday night in the gap. equally enjoyable experienc-
Staley that’s all it is. women’s Final Four. “I call it hot dogs for the girls es in their respective NCAA
Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney and steak for the boys,” she Tournaments.
South Carolina women’s Staley has enjoyed the tour- (D-N.Y.), chairwoman of the said. “It will be a great time
coach is not certain there will nament experience this year House Committee on Over- when you don’t need Title UConn guard Paige Bueck-
ever be true equity among the — the Gamecocks played sight and Reform; Rep. Jack- IX, but unfortunately in our ers, whose team plays Stan-
men’s and women’s NCAA two games at home and two ie Speier (D-Calif.), co-chair world, there’s discrimination ford in the other national
Tournaments. games in Greensboro, North of the Democratic Women’s still against people, women women’s semifinal here
Carolina — better than a year Caucus; and Rep. Mikie and we need to keep bat- Friday night, believes more
“I just don’t know,” Staley ago in the pandemic-caused Sherrill (D-N.J.) sent a letter tling.” needs to be done before the
told The Associated Press. “I bubble set up in San Antonio. to the NCAA the week of the tournaments are on equal
mean, the hotel is nice,” she tournament’s start. The longtime discussion gar- footing.

US to play England, Iran and possibly Ukraine at World Cup

(AP) - The United States European club matches are the 84th at Lyon, and current U.S.
will open its return to scheduled for Nov. 12 and “With England, it’s always U.S. men’s national team
the World Cup against 13, so Nov. 15 is likely the an exciting game. There’s al- general manager Brian Mc- Since losing to Germany in
the winner of a European first day Berhalter will have ways a lot of attention around Bride scored in the 87th. the 2002 quarterfinals, the
playoff among Ukraine, his entire roster available that game,” Berhalter said. U.S. was eliminated in the
Wales and Scotland, then ahead of the opener. “We’re familiar with a lot of This year’s World Cup is the group stage in 2006 and the
face England and Iran in their players.” first to be moved from its round of 16 in 2010, both
high-profile rematches of “That’s the negative, is that traditional June/July period, times by Ghana, and the
games played during tour- you have very little time Iran upset the U.S. 2-1 at the a shift to get away from the Americans exited the 2014
naments of the past quar- to prepare,” Berhalter said. 1998 World Cup in France, summer heat in the desert. tournament with an extra-
ter-century. “Guys will come over. They eliminating the Americans As a result, the tournament time loss to Belgium in the
will have been playing on the after their second game of will be played in the middle round of 16. The U.S. failed
The 15th-ranked Americans weekend, and we’ll get them the tournament. Hamid Es- of European club seasons and to qualify for the 2018 tour-
were drawn Friday to start literally a week before the tili scored in the 40th minute overlap with the NFL and nament.
against the European play- World Cup, and that’s a chal- and Mehdi Mahdavikia in college football seasons in the
off winner on Nov. 21, the lenge. On the positive side,
tournament’s opening day in if we advance, you get a little
Qatar. The U.S. plays No. 5 bit more rest as you head into
England on Nov. 25 and clos- the next phase.”
es the group stage against No.
21 Iran on Nov. 29. If the U.S. advances, it would
play in the round of 16 on
“It’s a good group,” U.S. Dec. 3 or 4 against Ecuador,
coach Gregg Berhalter said. Netherlands, Qatar or Sen-
egal.
No. 39 Scotland hosts 27th-
ranked Ukraine in June in a In the group stage of the 1950
playoff delayed from March World Cup, the U.S. famous-
because of Russia’s attack on ly upset England 1-0 at Belo
Ukraine. A few days later, the Horizonte, Brazil, behind Joe
winner goes to No. 18 Wales, Gaetjens’ 38th-minute goal.
which advanced last week The Americans opened the
with a 2-1 win over Austria. 2010 tournament with a 1-1
draw against the Three Lions
“Three strong teams,” Ber- in South Africa. Steven Ger-
halter said. “Two pretty simi- rard put England ahead in the
lar with Wales and Scotland fourth minute at Rustenberg,
and then one different with but Clint Dempsey tied the
Ukraine. So we’re going to score in the 40th when his
have to be preparing for all 25-yard shot skipped off the
three.” grass twice and bounced in
off Robert Green’s hand.