The President of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), Charlie Baker, caused people to react with surprise and disapproval when hinting that the association may consider entering the sports betting landscape to explore potential streams of fresh revenue. According to him, sports betting partnerships are a great opportunity that should not be missed by the organization.
Mr. Baker took part in a Washington, DC-based event called “The Future of College Sport”, which was organized by the University of Arizona and its president, Robert C. Robbins. As Forbes reported, at the time, he hinted about some National Collegiate Athletics Association plans to seek fresh income flows, including some controversial options, such as monetizing sports betting partnerships.
According to the NCAA President, the organization now has a major opportunity to get into the sports betting space and take advantage of the fact that sports betting is getting more and more accessible in a market where having a phone is enough to bet from literally anywhere, any time. Mr. Baker further noted that between two-thirds and three-quarters of all individuals aged from 18 to 22 are currently betting on sports events.
As mentioned above, Mr. Baker’s speech regarding sports betting opportunities as a potential stream for fresh revenue raised some eyebrows at the event. The NCAA President, however, softened the blow by explaining that the association plans to unveil a special program aimed at addressing the issue of putting young athletes in a delicate position.
NCAA Boss Does Not Take Ethical Issues into Account, Critics Say
At “The Future of College Sport” event in Washington DC, the president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association said he expected that the organization gets everyone to take part in the program helping it develop the necessary techniques and tools in order to deal with the issue.
Reportedly, Mr. Baker would not reveal further details about his strategy in the near future but he still hinted that some NCAA sports, such as women’s basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, etc., will be put out to bid individually step by step. According to him, the association is unable to take advantage of some revenue-raising opportunities, and that is a miss because “those items” are expected to get into the spotlight in the next four to six months.
Some of Baker’s critics emphasized the fact that he seems unable or unwilling to recognize the ethical dilemma that could be created by the NCAA for its athletes by not allowing them to decide whether they are willing to take part in activities providing data that is being sold to gambling companies and media hubs as part of a leveraged package product.
What is even more concerning, the boss of the National Collegiate Athletic Association believes that athlete data is the main reason for the rapid growth in the number of media and gambling deals. In fact, such contracts point to professional sports and their union agreements as proof that athlete data is incorporated into the overall NCAA product.
