This year’s NCAA Women’s March Madness Championship reached new record-breaking heights. The match-up between Louisiana State University (LSU) and the University of Iowa on Sunday, April 2, was the most viewed women’s NCAA championship in history, but the records don’t stop there. 

The LSU women’s basketball team had a historic win. For the first time in the program’s history, LSU’s women's team won the NCAA March Madness championship against the Iowa Hawkeyes.

With viewership at an all-time high, the performances led by LSU forward, Angel Reese were nothing short of spectacular. This season, Reese set the record for the most double-doubles in a single season with a record high of 34. 

The accomplishments set forth by LSU women’s team throughout the tournament are outstanding. This season, LSU’s women’s team was no stranger to discourse. LSU's well-deserved triumph follows a series of debates questioning the integrity of the team’s competitive attitude. 

After LSU claimed the championship title, Reese signaled John Cena’s infamous “you can’t see me” hand gesture to Iowa guard, Caitlin Clark. The gesture was initially done by Clark during Iowa’s win against Louisville but garnered a different reaction when done by Reese on Sunday.

Despite breaking new records that ultimately shifted the narrative surrounding women’s sports, debates regarding sportsmanship consequently overshadowed LSU’s historic win. 

During a post-game interview, Reese once again addressed critics and the double standards they hold against her as a Black woman.

"I don’t fit in the box that y’all want me to be in,” said Reese. “I'm too hood, I'm too ghetto, y'all told me that all year. When other people do it, y'all don't say nothing. This was for the people that look like me."

Debates increased after First Lady, Jill Biden extended the invitation to visit the White House to both teams. 

“I’m going to tell Joe I think Iowa should come, too, because they played such a good game,” said Biden.

Generally, the losing team doesn’t get invited to the White House. Regardless of intent, Biden’s display represents a larger conversation concerning how achievements by Black women are shifted to include everyone. 

Yeno Doku is a junior health performance major from Portland, Oregon. Doku reflects on Biden’s decision to extend the White House invitation to both teams. 

“I don’t she said it with a negative intent, but saying it had a negative impact,” said Doku.  “Everyone knows the winning team is invited to the White House, and to invite both teams, especially when the internet was already building tensions between the two teams, wasn’t a great idea.”

For Ja’kyra Prothro, a sophomore biology major from Douglasville, Georgia, this experience is reflective of the struggles many Black female athletes face.

“Often times Black woman's success is highlighted while uplifting a non-Black women’s success,” reflects Prothro. “When I think about this situation, I’m reminded of every time Serena Willam’s successes were co-opted to include her opponents.”

Unfortunately, this experience is not unique or new. Junior Alivia Turner and sophomore Laila Hinton express their frustration towards this heartbreaking reality.

“A lot of times when black celebrities especially women are highlighted for their success they’re often compared to white people,” stated Turner. “I would like to see black women be able to do what we do without backlash or comparison especially when it’s not needed.” 

“I was very upset because there was no need or justification as to why the runner-up would be invited to go to the White House,” said Hinton. “I hope that in the future, Black women aren’t erased from the history that they’ve been attributed to and given a bad reputation. Black Women need to be respected and heard, I feel like when that happens everything else will fall into place.”

The First Lady’s press secretary ​​Vanessa Valdivia took to Twitter to clarify Biden’s remarks and diffuse confusion regarding attendance at the White House. 

“Her comments in Colorado were intended to applaud the historic game and all women athletes. She looks forward to celebrating the LSU Tigers on their championship win at the White House,” tweeted Valdivia on Tuesday.

While statements by Biden’s press secretary were intended to do damage control, in the end, LSU’s basketball championship was overshadowed by critics and Biden’s comments. A historic moment that called for celebration and praise became an unfortunate reminder of the reality of being a high-achieving Black woman.