With March Madness dominating the sports landscape, Doug Feinberg secured exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the Columbia women’s basketball team 72 hours before their NCAA Tournament appearance.
Coordinating with photo, video, and graphics teams, AP produced a rich, all-formats package focused on a historic shift: women’s teams receiving, for the first time, financial benefits that men’s programs have long enjoyed.
Deputy Business News Editor Pia Sarker helped shape the effort as part of a broader “Women in the Workforce” initiative. The result included a video explainer and three text stories: an anchor piece on how women’s teams are now getting a slice of tournament revenue, a feature on Columbia’s journey to its first-ever NCAA Tournament win, and an explainer on how revenue disbursement works.
Photographer Nell Redmond captured the excitement and emotion of Columbia’s players, while social video producer Amira Borders worked with Feinberg to create video content that included exclusive locker room access. Graphic designer Jake O’Connell contributed an evergreen graphic on “units,” the system through which conferences receive payments when one of their teams appears in the NCAA Tournament.
Together, the team delivered a compelling and timely package that brought new attention to equity in college sports.
Related articles
