NCAA president Charles Baker gives a blunt response on the sustainability of the association: "Times are changing"
The NCAA landscape has been drastically altered due to conference realignment. NCAA president Charles Baker recently discussed the sustainability of the organization with Jay Elsen of Midco Sports.
When asked if he believes the climate was sustainable, he said:
"I guess my answer to that would be, if you leave it exactly the way it is, probably not, but the great thing about a challenge is it's an opportunity. ... I think the thing we have to do is accept the fact that times are changing. ... We need to be up for the challenge and insist you can't sit back on your heels and just expect to do the same thing tomorrow that you did yesterday.
"We need to continue to participate where the future's going and make changes to accommodate student-athletes and the schools they participate in going foward. And if we don't do that, we're not serving the folks we should be looking out for and taking care of."
Baker elaborated, sharing some of the ways the NCAA has adapted to changing times:
"I think, from our point of view, some of the stuff we've done already around making sure that there's two years of injury insurance protection for kids across all three divisions if they get hurt playing their sport and they need to continue to have treatment after they're done with their eligibility and they graduate. Just did that, starts next year.
"The DI rules around scholarship protection and the opportunity to graduate after your eligibility expires and have access to certain services, again, those things are all starting next year as well."
Check out Charles Baker's full comments here (starting at the 7:25 mark).
How has conference realignment affected the NCAA?
Conference realignment has drastically altered the NCAA landscape. The Pac-12 has been hit the hardest as eight of its 12 schools will leave the conference in 2024. The Oregon Ducks, UCLA Bruins, USC Trojans and Washington Huskies will join the Big Ten. Meanwhile, the Arizona Wildcats, Arizona State Sun Devils, Colorado Buffaloes and Utah Utes will join the Big 12.
The Big 12 has already added the BYU Cougars, Cincinnati Bearcats, Houston Cougars and UCF Knights ahead of the 2023 season. It will, however, lose the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns to the Southeastern Conference ahead of 2024.
While the Atlantic Coast Conference remains unchanged so far by conference realignment, it's in talks to land the California Bears and Stanford Cardinal.