NCAA PREZ: BIG SCHOOLS SHOULD PAY
NCAA President Charlie Baker is asking members to make one of the most dramatic shifts in the history of college sports by allowing highly resourced schools to pay some of their athletes.
In a letter sent to more than 350 Division I schools Tuesday, Baker said he wants the association to create a new tier of NCAA Division I sports where schools would be required to offer at least half their athletes a payment of at least $30,000 per year through a trust fund.
Baker also proposed allowing all Division I schools to offer unlimited educational benefits and enter into name, image and likeness licensing deals with athletes.
He said the disparity in resources between the wealthiest schools in the top tier of Division I called the Football Bowl Subdivision and other D-I members — along with the hundreds of Division II and III schools — is creating “a new series of challenges.”
“The challenges are competitive as well as financial and are complicated further by the intersection of name, image and likeness opportunities for student-athletes and the arrival of the Transfer Portal,” wrote Baker, the former Massachusetts governor who took over at the NCAA in March.
Baker is scheduled to speak today at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletic Forum in Las Vegas.
Division I is currently divided for football into the FBS, which has 133 schools, and FCS (Football Championship Subdivision).
Baker’s proposal is aimed at creating a new subdivision, covering all sports, where the richest athletic departments in the so-called Power Five conferences — the Big Ten, Southeastern Conference, Big 12, Atlantic Coast Conference and Pac-12 — can operate differently than the rest, while still competing with the rest of Division I.
Conference realignment starting in 2024 will move the Pac-12 out of that group.
The proposed shift would not require all members of a conference to be part of the new subdivision. Schools would be allowed to make that determination individually.
Baker noted athletic budgets in Division I range from $5 million and $250 million annually, with 59 schools spending over $100 million annually and another 32 spending over $50 million. He said 259 Division I schools, however, spend less than $50 million on their athletic programs.
More college football
Missouri running back Cody Schrader has won the Burlsworth Trophy, given to the nation’s best player who started his Division I career as a walk-on.
Schrader, who walked on two years ago after transferring from Division II Truman State, leads Division I with 124.9 yards rushing per game this season. He has rushed for 1,625 yards and 13 touchdowns and led the Tigers to a 10-2 record. He was a unanimous AP first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection this year.
Penn State defensive end Chop Robinson declared for the 2024 NFL Draft. Robinson recorded three sacks and 18 quarterback hurries this season.
Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker was named winner of the Broyles Award, which is presented annually to the top assistant coach in college football.
Soccer
Jaedyn Shaw scored the go-ahead goal in the 79th minute to give the United States a 2-1 victory over China in the Americans’ final match of the year.
It was the second of two exhibition matches against China. The United States won the first 3-0 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Saturday.
Shaw’s second international goal came in front of her hometown crowd in Frisco, Texas. The 19-year old was making her first start for the national team.
Shen Mengyu scored in first-half stoppage time to give China the lead. Shen tapped in Siqian Wang’s well-placed header off a free kick.
Sam Coffey scored in the 62nd minute from the top of the box to even the score. It was Coffey’s first international goal.
Declan Rice scored in the seventh minute of stoppage time to earn Premier League leader Arsenal a wild 4-3 win over Luton.
South Korea striker
Hwang Hee-chan extended his career-best scoring streak in the Premier League with the winning goal for Wolverhampton in a 1-0 victory over Burnley.
Sheffield United became the first Premier League club to fire its manager this season, with Paul Heckingbottom losing his job with the team in last place after 14 games of its first campaign back in England’s top division.
Barcelona goalkeeper
Marc-André ter Stegen needs back surgery and could lose his starting spot with Germany’s national team ahead of the European Championship.
Sports and courts
Lawyers for the woman accusing Dani Alves of sexual assault are asking for the maximum sentence of 12 years in prison for the Brazilian soccer player.
Rams cornerback Derion Kendrick, facing two misdemeanor gun charges, was granted judicial diversion, the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office said.
Kendrick must perform 20 hours of community service, and enroll and complete the John Hopkins Gun Safety Class. He cannot own, use or possess any dangerous or deadly weapons, use or threaten to use force or violence, and must obey all laws and court orders.
Miami and Shanghai will host their first Formula One sprint races next season as two of the six sprints on the calendar take place in the United States.