NCAA President Charlie Baker calls for brand new tier of Division I the place faculties will pay athletes

School Sports activities

Baker and school sports activities leaders have been pleading with Congress to assist the NCAA with a federal regulation to control the best way athletes could be paid for NIL offers.

By RALPH D. RUSSO, Related Press

December 5, 2023 | 12:19 PM

LAS VEGAS (AP) — NCAA President Charlie Baker desires to create a brand new tier of Division I the place faculties with essentially the most athletic sources can provide limitless academic advantages, enter into identify, picture and likeness partnerships with athletes and immediately pay them by means of a belief fund.

In a letter despatched Tuesday to greater than 350 Division I faculties, Baker informed members that the disparity in sources between the wealthiest faculties within the Soccer Bowl Subdivision and different DI members — together with the tons of of Division II and III faculties — is creating “a brand new collection of challenges.”

“The challenges are aggressive in addition to monetary and are sophisticated additional by the intersection of identify, picture and likeness alternatives for student-athletes and the arrival of the Switch Portal,” Baker wrote.

Baker stated the distinction in the best way faculties that take part in revenue-generating school sports activities function and the overwhelming majority of school sports activities is complicating makes an attempt to modernize the collegiate sports activities mannequin.

“The contextual surroundings is equally difficult, because the courts and different public entities proceed to debate reform measures that in lots of circumstances would severely harm elements or all of school athletics,” he wrote.

Baker and school sports activities leaders have been pleading with Congress to assist the NCAA with a federal regulation to control the best way athletes could be paid for NIL offers.

The NCAA can also be dealing with a brand new spherical of authorized threats that would power members to share a number of the billions in income generated by main school soccer and basketball, together with giving athletes staff standing.