Next President of the NCAA

[DanMcQ]

Nothing like taking on a tough job...

[DanMcQ]

[DanMcQ]

www.bostonglobe.com/2022/12/15/sports/ncaa-charlie-baker-sam-kennedy/

[Elvado]

Need someone feckless to preside over a ridiculous monolithic parasite ?

Call a politician.

[DanMcQ]

[happyhoya1979]

Always noteworthy when a man takes on the 3rd most important job in college sports behind the SEC and Big 10 Commissioners.

[DanMcQ]

www.bostonglobe.com/2022/12/16/sports/good-luck-charlie-baker-youve-got-your-work-cut-out-ncaa-other-thoughts/?s_campaign=sportsalerts:newsletter

Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker Thursday was named the new president of the NCAA.

Sheesh. The man who looks like Roger Goodell is now going to try to fix something far more broken than any professional sports league.

Good luck, Charlie. Big-time college sports is a cesspool. The NCAA makes the MBTA look like a well-oiled machine.

When Baker, who could have been governor for life, announced he was stepping down after two terms, I assumed he was preparing to run for president of the United States.

No. He’s now president of the NCAA, which could be more challenging than sitting in the Oval Office.

Baker’s now got to deal with the billion-dollar, blatantly professional, borderline criminal greed of big-time college sports while at the same time trying to serve worthy, Division 3 programs with true amateurs playing for the love of the game. It’s like overseeing Brookline Booksmith and Amazon Prime simultaneously.

Poor Charlie now has to monitor frauds such as Deion Sanders (think he cares about anyone at Colorado ever graduating?) urging Colorado footballers to rush to the transfer portal, while still honoring the majority of college athletes who have nothing to do with March Madness or absurd/monied Division 1 football programs.

At his introductory news conference Thursday, Baker — who played basketball at Harvard (which is not to be confused with the one-and-done/bags-of-cash experience of John Calipari’s Kentucky ballers) — spoke of this “amazing opportunity” and this being “a bit of a pivotal period” for college sports.

I’ll say. The transfer portal and the big-dollar NIL (name, image, likeness) opportunities for a small number of star athletes (such as some volleyball players and gymnasts who have endorsement deals as social media stars) have dramatically changed the already scorched-earth landscape of big-time college sports. The notion of “student-athletes” in these cash cow programs is a legitimate joke and has cultivated a college-sports-watching audience of fans who think of the Texas Longhorns the same way they enjoy the Dallas Cowboys. And none of it has anything do with the traditional mission of the college experience.

I reached out to two-time NCAA champion UCLA center Bill Walton, a Southern California legend, to ask what he thought of the move and Walton texted, “Tragically sad.”

Indeed. When it comes to big-time college sports, it’s all about the TV deals involving bowl money and March Madness. The already-flawed system has been broken by NIL opportunities and the dreaded transfer portal, which shatters all team concept and allows any disgruntled, impatient star to switch to another school with no consequences. This is why you are seeing great coaches such as Jerry York and Jay Wright get out of the business.

I asked Baker about the portal Thursday and he said, “I am a fan of college sports and I think the transfer portal is one element of a whole series of elements that need to be part of the conversation going forward. At this point in time . . . I’m not going to comment on the pluses and minuses.”

Swell. I can do it for you, Gov.

The portal is a nightmare. It makes it impossible for any kind of continuity for big-time programs. It invites corruption, cash, and cars. Hello, Buddy Garrity. The portal makes a joke of coaching a big-time college team, or supporting said team from the sidelines.

It’s the same with NIL. How’d you like to be the unpaid offensive lineman blocking for a Heisman candidate running back who is making tens of thousands of dollars to tote the ball for State U?

Meanwhile, Baker knows he needs to serve the majority of NCAA athletes — legitimate students with no cash-for-play, and no professional sports on their horizon. These are your sons and daughters, just trying to play Division 3 lacrosse to enhance their college experience.

Good luck, Charlie. Your first day on the job is March 1. By Easter you’ll be longing for those golden days of trying to fix the Orange Line.

[DanMcQ]

[DanMcQ]

[DanMcQ]

[DanMcQ]

[hoyarooter]

Dec 12, 2023 3:22:45 GMT -5 DanMcQ said:

Noble goals. We'll see.

[RusskyHoya]