NCAA President Proposes Paying Athletes Amidst Legal Challenges

Charlie Baker's proposal, which includes a minimum annual payment of $30,000 to at least half of a school's athletes, faces scrutiny as it may not resolve ongoing lawsuits against the NCAA.

• NCAA President Charlie Baker has proposed a new Division I tier where schools would be required to pay at least half their athletes at least $30,000 annually.
• The proposal also includes allowing all Division I schools to offer unlimited educational benefits and enter into name, image and likeness licensing deals with athletes.
• Several high-profile lawsuits against the NCAA could lead to a college sports landscape where some athletes are paid employees or at least get money in a revenue-sharing model that looks a lot like professional sports.
• Experts suggest that Baker's proposal won't end any of the ongoing lawsuits and may strengthen the arguments that the plaintiffs have in those cases.
• The NCAA is lobbying Congress for federal laws that it hopes would protect it from antitrust claims.

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