Baker met with nine members of Congress over the past two weeks, including at least five U.S. senators, multiple legislative aides tell Sports Illustrated. The meetings, with members of both parties and both branches, were described as introductory in nature and will likely serve as the first in ongoing conversations between Baker and lawmakers over potential federal legislation to govern college athlete compensation.
Aides from the offices of Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) confirmed they met with Baker in individual gatherings. A meeting with Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) was rescheduled. It’s not clear which other legislators Baker met with.
Baker’s conversations with lawmakers centered on solutions for name, image and likeness (NIL), a concept officials within college sports say has created a chaotic environment that needs to be governed at the national level. For more than three years now, the NCAA has sought a congressional bill so NIL can be run under a uniform set of standards as opposed to the differing state laws that schools are now following.
Baker, who served as a two-term Republican governor of Massachusetts, took over for Mark Emmert on March 1, replacing the beleaguered NCAA leader whose three-plus year pursuit of congressional legislation failed. Baker’s trips to the nation’s capital just days into the job is a testament of how serious he views this pursuit. He discussed the matter two weeks ago in an interview with SI.
Many of the lawmakers with whom Baker met are some of Congress’s most powerful and influential members on the topic of athlete compensation and NIL. Over the past three years, the issue has gained traction with U.S senators and House members as more of their constituents—college athletic administrators, commissioners, coaches and former players—converge on D.C. to encourage congressional action.
Blumenthal says he came away “deeply impressed” with Baker’s knowledge and understanding of the issues and that he “definitely brought a different perspective” than Emmert.
“He will be a breath of fresh air with a very strong incisive and insightful mind and an authentic commitment to the athletes,” Blumenthal says. “He comes with no real baggage in terms of special interests. I think he’ll bring an important perspective.”
A statement from Blackburn’s office described her meeting with Baker as “productive,” and she urged Baker to “clean up the shop” at the NCAA and “focus on action rather than setting up more committees.”
“There are a lot of places the senator identified where the NCAA will need to focus under Baker, including transfer portal, scholarships and working with states that enacted their own laws in the absence of strong leadership at the NCAA under his predecessor,” an aide for Blackburn said in the statement, a not-so-subtle shot at Emmert.
The bulk of the conversation with Tuberville centered on the bill in which the former football coach, along with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), is in the midst of drafting. The bill, which is expected to be complete in the first half of the year, would serve as the latest college athlete legislation introduced in Congress over the last several years.
Tuberville and Baker spoke about college football in general, an aide from the former coach’s office says. Tuberville also invited Baker to attend the annual rivalry game between Alabama and Auburn, the Iron Bowl, this November.
Baker’s hire as NCAA president was a clear indication the association wanted a seasoned, well-liked leader who can maneuver in political circles and encourage lawmakers to pass an NIL bill. A Republican who governed a Democratic state with a high approval rating, Baker is seen by many as a pragmatic leader who can work with both sides of the aisle, a critical skill in what’s become a partisan issue.
Blumenthal believes there is a higher likelihood that Congress will pass federal legislation than in previous years.
“That is the direction everyone is moving—the schools, legislators, states,” he says. “There seems to be a recognition that standards and protections for athletes make a lot of sense. We are beginning with a head start compared to last session, because we spent half the session framing our bill and having hearings. I think we have a much higher degree of consensus.”
Blumenthal and Booker plan to reintroduce their college athlete bill of rights at some point this year, he says. The two senators have been in conversation with Tuberville and Manchin as they draft their own legislation. The Tuberville and Manchin legislation is likely to be more conservative in nature. The two bills could set up a showdown between the two parties.
Since 2019, Democrats and Republicans have become unable to reach a compromise on a college athlete bill despite multiple legislative proposals and at least a half dozen hearings on the topic. Another hearing, in the House, is scheduled for March 29.
Democrats want a broad bill that governs multiple aspects of college athletes rights, including long-term health care, lifetime scholarships and more. Republicans are targeting a more narrow bill that focuses on governing NIL, specifically the recruiting aspect, which college officials say is an unwieldy mess of rule-breaking where boosters and booster-led collectives are using NIL to retain or sign athletes at their schools.
Baker and the NCAA aren’t the only entities fighting for a congressional bill. Last month, Power 5 commissioners met in Dallas to devise a more uniform strategy by which to use in their efforts to see a bill passed. Several high-level college officials have routinely made the trip to D.C. for meetings with lawmakers, including SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick and MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher.
