GLENDALE, Ariz. — NCAA President Charlie Baker said before Monday's men's basketball championship game that the NCAA remains concerned about gambling in college sports, but added, “In this game, especially after the game is over,'' “At that point, we were at the top of the first inning.” Come to prop betting.
“Has anyone noticed how much time was spent on cable TV watching Caitlin Clark's prop performance (in the national semifinals) leading up to the second game?” Baker said. “Was that really something we should be talking about in the middle of the women's Final Four? I think for most people, the answer is no.”
Baker, who completed his first year as NCAA president in March, spoke with reporters for about 15 minutes before Purdue and Connecticut played. He was excited and encouraged the girls to advance to the final four. He also discussed steps the NCAA is taking to help college athletes and their families better understand names, images and similar situations.
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Baker announced in a statement in March that the NCAA was “drawing the line” to better protect athletes and the integrity of sports. Prop His Bet allows fans to bet on a player's performance, such as how many yards a football player gains rushing or how many rebounds a basketball player grabs. These are also the reasons why fans lash out at players who don't reach those numbers.
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Gambling makes ending games miserable for players off the bench.
“Prop betting is a huge problem for student-athletes, and we've been told this by many students,” Baker said, adding that the NCAA has convinced four states to eliminate prop betting and other He added that he was instrumental in convincing the state to pass the harassment bill. law.
“It's very important for us to recognize that this is going to be a difficult issue, and we need to take seriously the fact that student-athletes are typically surrounded by a large number of classmates and alumni who bet on sports.”
Regarding NIL, Baker said the NCAA is working on a consumer protection package to help athletes and their families better understand the NIL market. Baker said the company is also building a platform similar to Yelp or TripAdvisor that will give families a way to discuss NIL's third parties and their authenticity.
“I think this is our first step in trying to ensure that all players involved in this space are held accountable, and we will go the extra mile to increase transparency,” he said.
Baker said she is excited about the women's basketball tournament and the attention and television ratings it has generated. He loved stories and competition.
Sunday's national title battle between Iowa and South Carolina drew a record 18.7 million viewers on ABC and ESPN.
“Pretty, pretty, pretty good,” Baker said with a smile.
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(Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
