• Loading stock data...
Friday, May 16, 2025

Mark Emmert Tried, And Failed, to Maintain the NCAA’s Status Quo

  • Emmert slowed down the NCAA’s modernization, rather than encouraging it.
  • On Wednesday, Charlie Baker will take the reins — and is expected to focus on lobbying.
ncaa-NIL-senate-hearing-mark-emmert-senator-moran
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

During a decade-long tenure, Mark Emmert spent most of his time attempting to resist changes to college sports. Ultimately, though, he just delayed the inevitable.

Emmert led a national office that spent millions fighting in court to preserve an increasingly unpopular amateurism model, even when public opinion had clearly changed. He dragged his feet on gender equity, and refused to lead on issues like the pandemic.

Former Gov. of Massachusetts and new NCAA President Charlie Baker walking into tunnel during sporting event

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker Is The Next NCAA President

The governing body tapped a political operative rather than a university president.
December 15, 2022

While his governing body has seen some court and NLRB victories over keeping athletes from being employees, he’ll hand off the reins just a few weeks after multiple federal judges questioned amateurism harshly in a hearing during an ongoing case.

  • In 2014, he lost in court (with O’Bannon v. NCAA) and in state legislatures on preventing athletes from gaining name, image, and likeness rights. 
  • The 2021 NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments — which took place in semi-bubbles due to the pandemic — put the NCAA’s structural inequities on the biggest stage. 
  • While he did eventually commission an in-depth gender equity review — which NCAA officials have begun to act upon — he only did so when forced. The review was commissioned 10 years after Emmert arrived at the NCAA, where structural problems existed without remedy. 
  • He then led the NCAA to the Supreme Court, where it lost 9-0 over whether the NCAA can limit athlete benefits in NCAA v. Alston. 

The latter half of Emmert’s tenure can also be characterized by his silence. 

During the gender equity fiasco, Emmert made excuse after excuse for the lack of marketing, promotion, and even gift bags and menu items that women’s basketball received — excuses he only offered after reporters cornered him in the halls of the men’s tournament. 

He allowed his underlings, including NCAA VP of Basketball Dan Gavitt and NCAA VP of Women’s Basketball Lynn Holzman, to take most of the heat.

It was a similar approach to how he handled the COVID-19 pandemic — offering few, if any, statements about how schools should handle athlete safety. 

And when the NCAA began to lose in court, he let his general counsel do the talking. 

He was, however, an excellent scapegoat for decisions endorsed by university presidents, conference commissioners, and athletic directors. For serving as college sports’ bogeyman, the NCAA paid Emmert about $29 million in total. 

As for what’s next, Emmert told Collegiate Sports Connect that he believes athlete employment status is the “absolutely the biggest issue” facing college sports today. 

On Wednesday, Charlie Baker will assume the role. While he has revealed little about his personal opinions on various issues in college sports, he’s made one thing clear: His top priority is getting Congress to intervene on the NCAA’s compensation conundrum.

Baker, the former Massachusetts governor, was chosen for his reputation of building bipartisan coalitions and leading companies to financial success in the private sector. With the help of his former chief of staff, he’ll turn the NCAA’s national office into more of a lobbying firm than it has ever been.

Baker won’t move to the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis so he can have more freedom to spend time in Washington. He’ll be asking Congress to codify what’s left of amateurism.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Jun 1996; Seattle, WA USA; FILE PHOTO; Seattle Supersonics guard Gary Payton (20) lays the ball up against the Chicago Bulls during the 1996 NBA Finals at Key Arena.

5,000 Pieces of Thunder History Are Hidden in Seattle

Sonics championship banners, trophies, and retired jerseys are all in one place.
Ohio State Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs (2) returns an interception during the second half of the Cotton Bowl Classic College Football Playoff semifinal game against the Texas Longhorns at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 10, 2025. Ohio State won 28-14.

House v. NCAA Settlement to Pay College Athletes: All Your Questions Answered

The yearslong lawsuit over player compensation is in the home stretch.
Long Beach State celebrates during the NCAA men's volleyball national championship against the UCLA Bruins at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio on May 12, 2025.

Objecting Lawyers Reject House v. NCAA Settlement Roster Limits Solution

Lawyers called the fix “meaningless” and “cold comfort.”

Featured Today

Hillary Trochek/Statement Threads Shop

How Custom Stanley Cup Playoffs WAGs Jackets Come Together

The process behind custom postseason jackets is meticulous—and aspirational.
Gracelyn Laudermilch
May 14, 2025

The House Settlement Has Thrown High School Athletes Into Crisis

FOS spoke to an athlete devastated by House settlement roster cuts.
Boomstick Burrito
May 11, 2025

The Arms Race to Create the Wildest Ballpark Concessions

Forget the score—did you see the milkshake?
Apr 18, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal vs Grand Canyon University Antelopes during the MPSF Men's Volleyball Championship at Galen Center.
exclusive
May 10, 2025

‘What Just Happened’: Inside the Abrupt End of Grand Canyon Men’s Volleyball

Inside Grand Canyon’s shocking decision to cut men’s volleyball.
Bill Belichick

UNC Denies Report Jordon Hudson Was Barred From Football Facility

Pablo Torre stood by his reporting on Bill Belichick’s girlfriend.
Football
May 7, 2025

Big Ten Beating SEC in Race to $1 Billion in Revenue

The Big Ten is winning the revenue battle, reporting $928 million in 2023–24.
Jan 6, 2024; Tempe, Arizona, United States; Arizona State Sun Devil Emma Gehlert competes in the 200 yard medley relay against Grand Canyon University at Mona Plummer Aquatic Complex in Tempe on Jan. 6, 2024.
May 7, 2025

Parties in House v. NCAA Settlement Submit Solution to Roster Limits Issue

Fixing the roster limits issue was a condition of approval.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

In the latest Portfolio Players—our series spotlighting athlete and executive investors—Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, owner of Gotham FC & advisor to the New York Giants, breaks down how sports, brand, and capital are reshaping fandom and the business of women’s sports.
May 6, 2025

Big 12 Re-Ups With Brett Yormark As Chaos Reshapes College Sports

Yormark is unafraid to lean in to the professionalization of college sports.
NCAA Football: Oregon State at California
April 29, 2025

Pac-12 Gets One-Year Test-Run Media Deal Before Expansion

It’s the next step in the league’s rebuild.
Shaquille O'Neal
April 28, 2025

Shaq Taking GM Role at Sacramento State

The news comes amid the school’s push for FBS status.
April 28, 2025

Quinn Ewers Bet on NFL Over NIL—and Left Millions on the Table

The Dolphins picked Ewers in the seventh round of the NFL Draft.