The legal challenges for the NCAA keep mounting, and experts say the overhaul proposed by the association’s first-year president — if it comes to pass — probably won’t help much.
Charlie Baker’s proposal, sent earlier this week to more than 350 Division I schools, would create a new D-I tier where schools would be required to pay at least half their athletes at least $30,000 annually. The proposal also would allow all D-I schools to offer unlimited educational benefits and enter into name, image and likeness licensing deals with athletes.
The call is just part of momentous changes already underway for the NCAA, its 500,000 athletes and its 1,100 member universities. With billions flowing to schools in a few power conferences through media rights deals, the push to direct some of the largesse to student-athletes has never been greater.
That push is clearly seen in a handful of high-profile lawsuits against the NCAA. If the plaintiffs win, it could lead to a college sports landscape where some athletes are paid employees or at least receive money in a revenue-sharing model that looks a lot like professional sports.
Baker’s proposal won’t change that, experts say.