Three ways to fix college sports, tell me about this news in (https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/09/12/opinion/college-sports-new-ncaa-divisions/)

The discussion surrounding the creation of a new NCAA Division I subdivision centers on major reform proposalsmost notably championed by NCAA President Charlie Bakeraimed at overhauling the modern collegiate sports landscape amid legal challenges, conference realignment, and the rise of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) compensation.The core plan proposes three main ways to stabilize and restructure college sports:

1. Bringing NIL Deals In-House Under current and traditional structures, universities were barred from directly compensating athletes for NIL, forcing deals through independent booster collectives. The reform proposes allowing all Division I institutions to directly enter into NIL licensing contracts with their student-athletes, increasing transparency, financial accountability, and consumer protection.
2. Removing Limits on Enhanced Educational Benefits Following the Supreme Court’s ruling in NCAA v. Alston, academic-related financial awards had been capped at $5,980 annually. The proposal would eliminate these caps across all Division I schools, granting athletic departments the discretion to offer unlimited enhanced educational benefits and financial support to student-athletes.
3. Creating a New High-Resource “Super-Subdivision” To address the massive financial disparities between powerhouse athletic programs and mid-major schools, the plan introduces an optional top tier within Division I. Wealthier schools choosing to join this new subdivision would:

• Commit to investing at least $30,000 per year into an enhanced educational trust fund for at least half of their eligible student-athletes, operating within the Title IX gender-equity framework.
• Form their own rule-making body with peer institutions to set tailored standards on roster sizes, scholarship limits, transfer policies, and compensation that better fit commercial athletic programs without imposing unsustainable burdens on smaller Division I schools.

Together, these proposals aim to preserve Olympic and non-revenue sports, comply with evolving antitrust law, and establish a viable framework where top-tier athletes can be directly compensated while remaining tied to their academic institutions.