This week on Pause for a Moment, we’re diving into the money, power, and inequality behind March Madness. Every year, the NCAA tournament generates billions of dollars, yet the athletes at the center of it all, many of whom are Black, see only a fraction of that wealth. With NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals reshaping college sports, has real change arrived, or is it just a new way for corporations to profit off young talent?

From the historic lawsuits that challenged the NCAA’s business model to the disparities in how men’s and women’s basketball players benefit from NIL, we’ll break down who’s really cashing in on March Madness, the fight for fair compensation, and what the future of college basketball could look like.