Under normal circumstances, the NCAA women's championship would have been a thrilling milestone for the oft-overlooked field of women’s sports. And yet, this historic occasion was marred by controversy: racist double standards, sexist stereotypes, even a presidential faux pas.

Boston University School of Medicine professor Ann McKee; Chris Nowinski, co-founder of the Concussion Legacy Foundation; and Rachel Blauner, a midfielder on the BU women’s soccer team, discussed...