Baker: No NCAA Answers Today

The House v. NCAA settlement looms as one of the biggest changes in college athletics in decades, but NCAA President Charlie Baker warns it won't be settled today.

April 7, 2025

Don't Expect College Sports' Landmark House Settlement to Be Complete Monday, NCAA President Says
"I don't think she'll approve it on Monday," Baker said.

As CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodds writes, “The House v. NCAA settlement looms as one of the biggest changes in college athletics in decades. The settlement of a multi-billion class-action suit from 2020 establishes a trough of $20.5 million for schools outside of NCAA oversight to directly pay athletes for their athletic talents. 

“That settlement goes directly against the foundation of why the NCAA was founded 120 years ago – to protect the amateur ideal. But for the NCAA to survive, strategically, it had to agree to the settlement. Had the lawsuit gone to trial, the NCAA risked losing in court which would have trebled the damages and possibly bankrupted the association.”
^{CBS Sports}

Kang Investing $25M to Support U.S. Soccer
Washington Spirit owner Michele Kang will invest an additional $25M to support U.S. Soccer. The investment follows a $30M donation she made in 2024. In addition, U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson and Kang, founder & CEO of Kynisca, announced that U.S. Soccer will integrate the current operations of Kynisca Innovation Hub into the Soccer Forward Foundation. This is the largest investment in the Soccer Forward Foundation since its launch in June 2024.
^{Sports Business Journal}

StubHub IPO on Pause Amid Market Turmoil
THR’s Alex Weprin reports: “The company is said to be waiting for the markets to quiet down and clarity to resume, at which point it would be ready to resume its IPO planning. StubHub filed its S-1 with the SEC in late March, disclosing a $2.8 million net loss in 2024 on $1.77 billion in revenue last year, the filing said, compared to more than $405 million in profit in 2023 on about $1.37 billion in revenue.
^{The Hollywood Reporter}

NASCAR Monitoring Potential Tariff Impact
Bloomberg reported this week that Ford, GM and Stellantis were “making a last-ditch effort to sway the Trump administration on tariffs set to take effect this week, contending that levies on thousands of parts they source abroad could have catastrophic effects on the industry.”
^{Bloomberg via Sports Business Journal}

Unrivaled Made Over $27 Million in Revenue, ‘Almost’ Broke Even
FOS’ Annie Costabile writes, “Executives are bullish, telling Front Office Sports they’re eyeing profitability as soon as next year.

“The league banked over $27 million in revenue in its first year, according to a league source. The money was likely largely from a lucrative media deal with TNT, plus a blue-chip roster of corporate sponsors. With an average salary of $200,000 for their founding 36 players, the league spent $7 million or more on player salaries.”
Front Office Sports

WNBA’s Valkyries, CBS Sign Local Broadcast Deal
The Golden State Valkyries –- the WNBA’s newest team -- signed a media rights deal making CBS Bay Area the franchise’s first local broadcast home. While financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, the Valkyries will join the Aces, Fever, Liberty, Storm and the Wings as the only known WNBA teams receiving local rights fees.
^{Sports Business Journal}

U.S. Soccer, NWSL See 2031 Women’s World Cup as ‘Catalyst’ for Growth and League Expansion
The United States has not yet formally won the bid to host the 2031 Women’s World Cup, but The Athletic notes various figures from the U.S. Soccer Federation and the NWSL are already looking six years ahead to harness the power of hosting the tournament.

“It gives us something to work towards that we know from history can change the interest level in women’s soccer,” NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman told The Athletic before the U.S. women’s national team face Brazil on Saturday, a rematch of the 2024 Paris Olympics gold medal match.
^{The Athletic}

Mavs Offer Free Play-In Tickets to Club Members
After the tumultuous Luka Doncic trade that left much of the Mavericks fanbase in revolt, team CEO Rick Welts announced Friday that all Club Maverick Members will receive free tickets to a Play-In Tournament home game if the Mavs retain ninth place in the Western Conference standings.

“This is our way to say thank you to our fans for their dedication to the team, whether they’ve been with us for 4 years or over 40 years,” Welts said in a statement, referring to season ticket holders.
^{Sports Business Journal}

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UConn Returns to Top of Women’s basketball, Dominates South Carolina 82-59 to Capture its 12th Title
Bueckers, Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong led the way as UConn returned to the top of women’s college basketball by rolling to an 82-59 victory over defending champion South Carolina on Sunday. Fudd, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, scored 24 points. Strong had 24 points and 15 rebounds, and Bueckers scored 17 points for UConn (37-3).
^{AP News}

Sportico follows this news up with a warning, however: 👇🏼

UConn Title Comes With Warning About Women’s Basketball Future

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