South Carolina point guard Zia Cooke scores wins on and off the court（在线收听）

South Carolina point guard Zia Cooke scores wins on and off the court

Transcript

Zia Cooke has been chosen for a new campaign to support women college athletes through name, image and likeness sponsorship deals.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

It's nearly time for college basketball's big dance. March Madness starts in just over a week. And South Carolina point guard Zia Cooke wants to lead the Gamecocks to their first women's national championship since 2017.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Here she is making a big basket against the Connecticut Huskies last November.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED COMMENTATOR: Shot clock down to seven. Cooke lost her dribble, in trouble. Tough shot - but she makes tough shots.

MARTINEZ: In a world where sports played by men has always had way more attention, Cooke is nabbing the spotlight and some big sponsorship deals. The tax preparation company H&R Block launched a $1 million campaign called A Fair Shot specifically for college women athletes like Cooke.

ZIA COOKE: It means a lot to me just because it shows me that H&R Block noticed me. They noticed my talent. And they wanted me to be one of the girls to let women know that we can do anything men do. We can - we have the same amount of opportunities.

MARTIN: The NCAA changed its rules last year, allowing college athletes to make money with their name, their image and likeness.

MARTINEZ: Male athletes make far more than their female counterparts from these sponsorship deals.

COOKE: We're all here to win. We all put the same amount of work in. It'll be a big presence if we see that for the NCAA tournament, that things are just fair all around with women and men.

MARTIN: Her team is currently ranked No. 1 in women's basketball. So we will see that winning spirit on the court.

(SOUNDBITE OF MATT LARGE'S "DIFFERENT TYPE OF VIBEO")