Big 12 Will Expand Into a Mega-Conference IF it Pays Players As Employees, Followed By Poaching ACC

Locked On Big 12 | Daily College Football & Basketball Podcast

During his testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee last month, Charlie Baker, the new president of the NCAA, argued that not only does the association oppose college athletes becoming employees of their institutions, but the athletes themselves are overwhelmingly against it as well.

Drawing from his seven months of personal experience in the role, Baker informed lawmakers that he had conversed with approximately a thousand student-athletes since assuming the position, and he hadn't encountered a single one who expressed a desire to be treated as an employee. He emphasized the significance of this observation.

However, this assertion was met with skepticism both within and outside the NCAA community. Chase Griffin, a senior backup quarterback at UCLA and a prominent advocate for college athletes profiting from their performances, found Baker's claim implausible. Griffin, who recently launched a newsletter called The Athlete’s Bureau to amplify college athletes' perspectives, contested Baker's statement, highlighting its literal impossibility.

Contrary to Baker's anecdotal evidence, Bill Carter, a sports marketer who operates the NIL consulting firm Student-Athlete Insights, presented different findings. Carter shared the results of an email survey he conducted with a panel of 1,086 current college athletes, revealing that 73% of respondents were in favor of becoming employees of their institutions, and more than half expressed interest in joining a college athlete union.

Acknowledging that his survey wasn't scientifically rigorous, Carter argued that it likely provides a more accurate representation of college athletes' views on employment than what Baker conveyed to the senators.

Baker's testimony left questions unanswered regarding how he arrived at the conclusion of unanimous opposition among athletes to employment status. Critics wondered whether he had inferred athletes' disinterest due to their silence on the matter or if he actively solicited their opinions in an unbiased manner. The NCAA has been pressed for clarification on Baker's statement and for further insights into college athletes' stances on employment, direct compensation, and unionization.

Despite repeated inquiries from Sportico, the NCAA has not provided substantial clarification. Initially, the association's communications department offered letters from Cody Shimp, chair of the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and four commissioners of HBCU conferences advocating against employee status for college athletes.

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