NCAA Partner Aflac March Madness Effort Will Focus On Supporting Women Athletes

By Barry Janoff

December 7, 2022: NCAA partner Aflac has unveiled activation for the Women’s Div. I hoops tournament and Final Four, saying there will be a focus on drawing “attention to funding gaps that exist in women's athletics.”

To that end, the health insurance firm said it would be “allocating a larger portion of its on-site activation and advertising budget specifically to focus on women's basketball.”

The effort will include significant participation from Dawn Staley, head coach for South Carolina, who led the team to the 2022 National Championship.

Aflac said that it would work with Staley “to determine how to best distribute the increased funding to drive impact for players and fans during the tournament."

Staley will also co-star in an Aflac March Madness spot that debuts ahead of the tournament that will also feature “another coaching legend.”

Advertising will “continue to focus on reminding Americans that Aflac is committed to helping close the medical debt gap.”

"Aflac is proud to help shine a bright light on some of the best female athletes in the world as they compete for a chance to fulfill their dreams of a national championship," Garth Knutson, Aflac head of marketing, said via the company.

"With the help of coach Staley, the NCAA and other influential individuals interested in growing women's sports, for 2023, we made the call to distribute additional advertising and marketing dollars to help support and advocate for a better player and fan experience in the women's tournament."

Aflac has been an official NCAA Corporate Partner since 2021 and has committed to a third year.

For the 2023 tournament, Aflac said its plans include “bolstering brand visibility with a diverse audience by advertising during women's basketball with more than 30 spots — in addition to running ten spots during the men's tournament.”

"I've always said that equity in sports is more than swag bags, branding and signage. It's about working with partners and advertisers like Aflac that use their dollars to truly close the gap," Staley said via Aflac.

"Change is long overdue, and I'm proud to partner with Aflac and show the power of investing in women's basketball."

Aflac’s move is part of a larger strategy to improve and expand NCAA women’s sports.

This past season, the NCAA built the Div. I Women's Basketball Championship bracket from 64 to 68 teams and said it would increase marketing, amenities and other factors surrounding the tournament.

The Div. I Men’s Basketball Tournament expanded to 68 teams in 2011.

The decisions followed a recommendation from a comprehensive external gender equity review of NCAA championships conducted by Kaplan Hecker & Fink, initiated by issues raised during the 2021 Div. I Men's and Women's Basketball Championships.

They included complaints from participants in the Women’s Basketball Tournament of inadequate travel, accommodations, training facilities and other services — especially when compared to what was being offered by the NCAA for the Div. I Men’s Basketball Tournament.

The NCAA said it has “taken significant steps — both at the national office and at the membership levels — to address gender equity concerns in the sport of basketball.

“These include using March Madness marketing at both the Div. I Men's and Women's Basketball Championships and the continued exploration of hosting joint Men's and Women's Final Fours in the same city starting with the next bid cycle," according to the NCAA.

The plan has already seen positive results.

When the NCAA Div. I Women's Basketball Committee last month named the five cities to host the Women's Final Four from 2027 through 2031, it stated that the bidding process has become increasingly intense.

“We are grateful to all of the cities that submitted bids to host future Women’s Final Fours," Nina King, who served as chair of the NCAA Div. I Women's Basketball Committee from 2020-22 and is also AD at Duke, said in June during the bidding process.

"The increased interest in this bid cycle, from so many cities throughout the country, is a result of the continuous growth of women’s basketball and support for this premier national women’s championship."

NCAA Expands Women’s March Madness Under ‘Equity Plan’

NCAA Women’s Final Four Host Cites For 2027-31

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