Charlie Baker was hired as the NCAA president as much for what he isn’t as what he is. The primary things the former governor of Massachusetts is not: a product of the age-old bureaucratic machinery of the association, or its campus feeder system. Now we’re seeing the early impact of hiring an outsider.
After spending the beginning of this week bringing NCAA leadership groups up to speed, Baker and his staff Wednesday released a review of the state of the association’s business model. The conclusions show what fresh eyes can bring to an entrenched institution. There is an acknowledgement of problem areas and shortcomings, there are plans to enact internal changes and there are promises of more shifts to come.
This may stop short of a complete cultural overhaul. But since formally taking over as president March 1, Baker and his staff have run a five-month diagnostic test on the NCAA and decided on a course of corrective action.
