The normally chill Ben Simmons got very worked up this week when something of a touchy subject came up.
On Thursday, University of Oregon forward Sedona Prince shared a TikTok video calling out the difference in accommodations that are made for men’s and women’s collegiate basketball events.
@sedonerrrit’s 2021 and we are still fighting for bits and pieces of equality. #ncaa #inequality #fightforchange♬ original sound – Sedona Prince
Naturally, this led to more people taking notice of the disparity.
“Limited space” they say… https://t.co/DwTe2T9Zh6 pic.twitter.com/iT1UVLVZSJ
— Sabrina Ionescu (@sabrina_i20) March 19, 2021
The topic seems to have struck a nerve with Simmons. On Saturday, he went on a lengthy rant about the double standard.
“I don’t have any respect for NCAA at all,” he said, per Chris Franklin of NJ.com. “What they are doing is wrong. I’ve seen the women’s stuff at the gym. That’s obviously not fair. They have so much money, but they can’t set up a weight room the same and be equal with that? That’s bulls***. There’s no excuse for that.”
Simmons didn’t stop there, though.
LaMelo decided to invite a special guest. https://t.co/nC2CuuD7yJ
— Game 7 (@game7__) March 17, 2021
“There’s too much money not to be able to do that and take care of the women’s side,” he continued. “I thought it’s disrespectful to those girls who are working just as hard as the guys in having the same opportunity.”
Simmons is often the unintended receiving party of criticism from various sources. Sometimes its NBA announcers taking shots at him, other times its world-renowned R&B star Chris Brown.
In most cases Simmons simply takes it on the chin and keeps on moving. The fact that he was so bothered by this particular situation that he felt the need to speak out so enthusiastically on it speaks to how much it truly means to him.
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Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
