Charlie Baker likes the direction of federal college sports legislation. He just does not think the current bill is ready to become law.
In a letter to member schools on Wednesday, the NCAA president backed the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act (PCSA) while pointing to several provisions he says still need work before he can fully get behind it.
His note arrived only hours after a Senate Commerce Committee hearing and one day after the Big Ten and SEC publicly opposed the bill, putting Baker in the awkward spot of praising progress while pushing for changes.
NCAA prez calls key revisions essential
Baker did not hide his support for the bill, filed last week by Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Maria Cantwell of Washington. He treated its arrival as a real movement after the SCORE Act collapsed in the House last month.
The praise came with a clear condition. “At the same time, it is essential that several key provisions be refined to best safeguard the stability of college athletic opportunities,” Baker wrote to member schools.
NCAA president Charlie Baker’s letter to member schools today. It is supportive of the Senate bill, but also identifies unresolved issues in the legislation. pic.twitter.com/Bk3BlNt6yB
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) June 4, 2026
He pledged the NCAA would help steer those fixes, saying the association “will provide detailed analysis for our member schools to guide the advocacy work that will now be required.”
Baker, who spent eight years as governor of Massachusetts, sold the effort as a rare win in a divided Washington. “Despite hyper partisanship on so many issues, college sports can cut across party lines,” he wrote.
PCSA: A bill almost no one wants
Here is the part Baker did not dwell on. For a bill designed to bring order, the PCSA has drawn complaints from nearly every direction.
The Big Ten and SEC say it leaves “critical issues unresolved,” mainly its failure to fully replace the patchwork of state laws the NCAA has long wanted gone. The Big 12 and ACC support it. The Congressional Black Caucus came out against it for reasons that have nothing to do with sports.
NCAA President Charlie Baker had notes for the proposed Protect College Sports Act. | Mykal McEldowney / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
That is a difficult crowd to satisfy. Much of Wednesday’s hearing centered on reining in the two wealthiest conferences, which helps explain why those leagues want no part of a measure that would cap their reach and limit media rights pooling.
When the schools meant to benefit cannot line up behind it and the biggest powers actively resist it, Baker calling revisions “essential” reads like a generous description of the work ahead.
A Senate Commerce Committee markup of the bill is tentatively scheduled for as soon as next week.
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