As he pursues reform proposal, NCAA president urges athletes to 'make your voice heard'

Two weeks after unveiling a potentially landmark reform proposal, NCAA President Charlie Baker addressed student-athletes in a lengthy letter in which he doubled down on the central points in the plan, stressed the need for Congressional intervention and implored athletes to “make your voice heard and be part of the solution that shapes the future of college sports.”

The first-year president – who has earned positive reviews for his earnest, unpretentious approach – reiterated that he sought to ignite debate and discussion with a proposal that would enable high-resourced schools to join a subdivision to craft their own policies and allocate a minimum of $30,000 annually to each athlete in a trust fund. 

Additionally, Baker endorses a rule change that would allow any Division I school to be able to enter into NIL deals with their athletes, a dramatic departure from the current model that leans heavily on third-party, donor-driven collectives.

Charlie Baker’s memo ‘kicked open doors’

Charlie Baker wrote that the proposal is “not set in stone.”

In fact, there is no guarantee the plan – which blindsided many leading stakeholders, including conference commissioners – will ultimately be implemented, much less in what form.

“I am pleased the memo has kicked open the doors of conversation and that I’ve had many reach out with ideas and alternatives,” Baker wrote. “With everyone I’ve talked to, I’ve encouraged them to be open-minded and practical in this long-overdue conversation to address several key issues in college sports.”

Baker emphasized that the NCAA must continue to “partner with Congress” to prevent athletes from being deemed university employees and for the association to possess the “authority to make nationwide rules without endless challenges.” The NCAA continues to aggressively pursue a Congressional lifeline that would afford the association at least limited antitrust protection and codify that athletes are not employees.

NCAA pursues lifeline amid mounting legal threats

Charlie Baker addressed student-athletes against the backdrop of mounting legal challenges.

Ongoing proceedings in the courts and with other entities are poised to radically reshape the collegiate model, and could potentially pose an existential financial threat to the NCAA.

Among the most prominent is the National Labor Relations Board case addressing charges that USC football and men’s and women’s basketball players are employees under the National Labor Relations Act. The complaint alleges the three charged parties – USC, the Pac-12 Conference and the NCAA – are joint employers. The NLRB hearing concluded Wednesday in Los Angeles and will resume next month.

Additionally, the NCAA and power conferences could be on the hook for as much as $4.2 billion – a figure that could financially cripple the association – that could potentially be owed to thousands of athletes in retroactive NIL pay and broadcast revenue as part of the blockbuster House antitrust lawsuit.

In the NCAA’s pursuit to “modernize college sports in an equitable fashion,” Baker multiple times referenced the need to evolve the collegiate model in the best interests of student-athletes, a point of emphasis he also stressed in a recent interview on big-picture issues with On3.

Gender equity must be focus of NCAA reform

In Charlie Baker’s letter to athletes, he also multiple times underscored the need to prioritize gender equity and grant schools “more latitude” to determine how to best support student-athletes. The current model of third-party collectives has drawn increasing scrutiny from legal experts because the overwhelming majority of collective dollars flow into the pockets of male athletes. 

Baker wrote in the letter that the proposal would enhance opportunities available to all Division I student-athletes and “help level the playing field between men and women student-athletes because schools will have to adhere to existing gender equity regulations as they invest in their athletics programs. It will take continued financial and organizational support to continue fueling the rise of women’s sports.”

Baker also said the NCAA is evolving the college sports model while mindful of maintaining the best elements of the student-athlete experience.

“Smaller clusters of similar athletics departments determining appropriate benefit levels for their student-athletes will also create more competitive balance,” Baker wrote, “while helping to protect those passionate rivalries and maintain current access to national championship events.”