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FILE - Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker speaks during a Juneteenth commemoration in Boston's Nubian Square, June 18, 2021. Charlie Baker will be the next president of the NCAA, replacing Mark Emmert as the head of the largest college sports governing body in the country.
AP Photo/Elise Amendola, FileRALPH D. RUSSO - AP College Football Writer
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker will be the next president of the NCAA, the association announced Thursday, replacing Mark Emmert as the head of the largest college sports governing body in the country.
Baker, a Republican, has been governor of Massachusetts since 2015. He announced earlier this year he would not seek re-election.
He will start the job in March 2023.
Emmert announced he would step down earlier this year after 12 years of leading the NCAA through a tumultuous time.
Battered by losses in the court and attacks by politicians, the NCAA is going through a sweeping reform, trying to decentralize the way college sports is governed.
College sports leaders, including Emmert, have repeatedly asked for help from Congress to regulate name, image and likeness compensation since the NCAA lifted its ban on athletes being paid endorsers.
Now the association will be led by a politician.
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