AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — As the landscape of college athletics faces unprecedented change, NCAA President Charlie Baker indicated a willingness to engage with President Donald Trump’s proposal for a new commission on collegiate sports.
Speaking Monday at the ACC’s annual spring meetings, Baker addressed the swirling reports that President Trump is considering forming a commission to examine the future of college athletics.
“I’m up for anything that can help us get somewhere,” Baker said during an informal press availability, signaling a pragmatic openness to federal involvement. “I think the fact that there’s an interest on the executive side on this, I think it speaks to the fact that everybody is paying a lot of attention right now to what’s going on in college sports.”
The NCAA, under Baker’s leadership, has been navigating a rapidly shifting environment marked by legal challenges, evolving state laws, and ongoing debates over the status of student-athletes.
Baker’s meetings with ACC football and basketball coaches, athletic directors, and school officials focused heavily on governance and the pending House settlement, but the topic of federal intervention loomed large.
Baker emphasized that the NCAA has already been active in Washington, seeking Congressional assistance on several major issues.
Chief among them is the “patchwork of state laws” that currently govern collegiate athletics, creating inconsistencies and confusion across the country.
Another pressing concern is the debate over whether student-athletes should be considered employees, a question that could fundamentally alter the collegiate sports model.
“People in our office have talked to folks who are working on this, but I don’t think they’ve decided the framework around who they want to put on,” Baker explained, referring to the potential structure of any presidential commission.
The uncertainty surrounding the commission’s makeup and mandate reflects the broader ambiguity facing college sports.
When asked whether a presidential commission could improve the NCAA’s chances of securing legislative relief, Baker was candid about the unpredictability of the process.
“I don’t have a crystal ball on that one. I don’t know,” he said. “I do think, though, that it’s quite clear at this point that there are a lot of people interested in college sports, and we do need some help at some point to create some clarity around some of these issues in Washington.
“Creating clarity one lawsuit at a time is just a really bad way to try to move forward.”
Baker’s comments highlight a sense of urgency and a willingness to consider new avenues for resolving the complex issues facing college athletics.
As the NCAA awaits further details on the proposed commission, the organization continues to advocate for a unified federal approach that could bring stability to an increasingly fragmented system.
For now, Baker’s message is clear: the NCAA is ready to engage with any effort that might help chart a clearer path forward for college sports, even if the specifics remain uncertain.
