In his State of College Sports address at the 2025 NCAA Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, NCAA President Charlie Baker reflected on the recent progress made in college sports and outlined future actions to ensure sustainability and growth.
A former Harvard basketball player, Baker used the concept of a "three-man weave" to illustrate his core priorities.
"To create a sustainable and equitable model for college sports, we have focused on three key priorities," he said. "Each plays a critical role in getting us to the hoop."
The three priorities Baker emphasized were the importance of modernizing the college sports model, continuing to invest in its growth and engaging key communities through new storytelling efforts.
Modernizing
Baker highlighted the significant recent strides made in supporting student-athletes, including:
Core guarantees in Division I
- Guaranteed scholarships.
- More time to complete degrees.
- Tutoring.
- Financial literacy programs.
- Enhanced health and wellness resources.
NCAA Post-Eligibility Insurance Program
- Provides student-athletes from all three divisions access to post-eligibility insurance.
- Ensures treatment for athletics injuries sustained during participation in an NCAA sport for up to two years after leaving school.
Sports betting
- Launching an initiative to monitor online harassment at NCAA championships.
- Gathering more data than ever before about how student-athletes are impacted.
- Advocating for student-athletes in state legislatures across the country.
- Making penalties more flexible while continuing to prioritize the integrity of competition.
NIL Assist
- Connects student-athletes with potential service providers.
- Facilitates disclosures of name, image and likeness activities.
- Provides insight into evolving trends within the NIL environment.
Looking forward, Baker emphasized the importance of the landmark settlement of the House v. NCAA, Hubbard v. NCAA and Carter v. NCAA cases — which was preliminarily approved in October — toward bringing stability to college sports and increasing scholarship opportunities.
"I am confident we can come through this stronger, more efficient and more transparent than we've been before," Baker said.
Investing in the future
When speaking about growing the future of college sports, Baker underscored the continued success of NCAA championships, which consistently have showcased incredible athletics achievements, dreams coming true and extraordinary drama.
"Across all three divisions, there is tremendous potential for growth," he added.
Thanks to recent financial reforms at the national office, Baker said the NCAA is in a great position to continue enhancing the championship experience. Specifically, he noted the following good financial news:
- The Association is now debt-free for the first time in decades.
- Over the past two fiscal years, the cost of core operations at the national office has declined from 16% of revenue to 12% by controlling costs, renegotiating old contracts and ending ineffective programs.
- This fiscal year, ticket sales are projected to generate nearly $100 million more than planned, a 48% increase, while TV revenue is up by $180 million, a 19% increase over the same period.
The financial reforms, he noted, will also allow the national office to absorb over 40% of the costs of back damage payments from the settlement, a $1.2 billion commitment over 10 years. If the settlement is approved in the spring, Baker said the national office will cover at least $120 million of the $280 million cost in the first year.
Another massive investment opportunity Baker stressed is the fan database that was announced at the 2024 Convention. More than 13 million fans are now in the database. Additionally, Baker announced that the national office will roll out an extensive data-sharing initiative with NCAA members in 2025.
Baker also highlighted the importance of the new eight-year agreement with ESPN for NCAA championships media rights. The increased value of the agreement — roughly six times the amount of the previous deal — has laid the foundation to create women's basketball distribution funds that would reward participation and performance in the Division I Women's Basketball Championship.
"It's a moment — a milestone moment — and one that we hope we can continue to expand on for years to come," Baker said.
Storytelling
One constant challenge Baker addressed is how frequently college sports are misunderstood by various audiences. It's why, he said, storytelling has become a major focus at the NCAA, to showcase the breadth of positives college sports offers its 500,000 student-athletes from 1,100 schools, including $4 billion in scholarships annually.
"It's a uniquely American enterprise — the envy of the world's athletic community," he said. "Together, with one voice, we need to reach new audiences with these truths. And we need to show what's at stake. To do that, the NCAA is telling our story in bigger, bolder ways."
One example Baker pointed to was the Olympians Made Here campaign. The campaign, created with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, highlighted hundreds of NCAA student-athletes' journeys from competing for their colleges to representing their countries on the world's biggest stage. Baker also noted how the NCAA is leveraging broadcast agreements to educate sports fans on the changes made to better support student-athletes.
Baker reminded members of the value their efforts play in showing what's at stake, especially with members of Congress. The NCAA, he emphasized, continues to work with congressional leaders on three priorities: affirming that student-athletes are not employees; providing a pathway for the NCAA to govern college sports without the threat of litigation; and preempting state laws to provide a uniform playing field for student-athletes.
"It will take collaboration, compromise and a willingness to embrace change," he said. "But like a good three-man weave, it ends with points on the board."
