NCAA Women
December 21, 2023
Charlie Baker wasn’t necessarily a volleyball fan.
But now?
“I have become one,” Baker replied.
Which is a good thing for college volleyball, since Baker is the new NCAA president.
We visited with Baker in Tampa last Sunday morning before the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship final.
“There are three things that I think are special about it,” Baker said. “The first thing is the quality of the athleticism is purely spectacular. The nature of the game, whether you’re in person or watching it on TV, point by point it’s incredibly fun to watch. And the third thing is there’s a whole series of rules changes that the volleyball community made over the course of 10 to 12 years that really sped up and I would argue dramatically enhanced the competition of the game.
“You put all that together and I think it’s one of the hottest sports in collegiate athletics.”
Baker, the former governor of Massachusetts, was hired by the NCAA last December 15 as his last term finished. He took over at the NCAA on March 1. The issues that he has to deal with on so many fronts are well documented, from paying athletes to NIL to continuing conference…
