March Madness Will Pay Women's Teams Under A New Structure Approved By The Ncaa

Women's basketball teams finally will be paid for playing games in the NCAA Tournament each March just like the men have for years under a plan approved Wednesday at the NCAA convention.

The unanimous vote by NCAA membership was met by a round of applause both inside the ballroom and around the sport. This was the final step toward a pay structure for women playing in March Madness after the Division I Board of Governors voted unanimously for the proposal in August.

NCAA President Charlie Baker joined others in giving credit for the creation of a performance fund to those who came before and helped build women's basketball.

Now comes more work and continued investment to grow women's basketball even more.

"That's the part I hope, that someday down the road, we all will have someone say about us that they sit on the shoulders of the work that we did," Baker said.