700 readers weighed in, they still want Charlie Baker for President
"I’m sure he’ll do a good job as head of the NCAA, but ... I’ll take him as our next president any day of the week, and twice on Sunday.”
When Charlie Baker leaves the governor’s office at the end of his term he’ll be making his way to the National Collegiate Athletic Association to serve as its next president. The news comes as a blow to fans of the governor who were hoping he would set his sights on the White House and there are some among our readership who aren’t prepared to let the dream die.
After Baker’s next steps were announced, we asked Boston.com readers if they thought about the outgoing governor becoming the NCAA’s president and 47% of the 705 readers polled said that he should be running for president instead. Another 31% said the move was a great fit and 14% said they were perplexed by the decision. Only 5% of our readers think it’s an outright bad idea.
“I am sure Charlie will be an asset for the NCAA, but our country needs Charlie Baker to be our president,” Nancy M. from Scituate said. “His strong morals and his sense of fairness are what this country is desperate for!” Please, Charlie!”
Baker isn’t the most obvious choice for this new role. He did spend time as a Harvard basketball player and as an assistant coach for the junior varsity team, but he has no experience in the administrative side of college athletics. The NCAA pointed to his reputation as an excellent manager and problem solver in their hiring announcement.
“He brings decades of experience spearheading transformations at high-profile institutions in the private and public sectors,” the organization said.
Barry from Acton wants to know, “Why does he want to do this thankless job?”
As president of the collegiate sports organization, Baker will be faced with a number of ongoing legal challenges that could determine its future profitability on day one. Most readers think he’s up for the job, but that his skills would be better served in public office — specifically, the highest office in the country.
In a recent poll Boston.com ran prior to the NCAA announcement, hundreds of Boston.com readers begged Baker to make a 2024 bid, calling him “the only Republican who could bring this country back together.”
But others understand why he wants to get back to the private sector and think his supporters should respect that decision.
“Leave the man alone, and let him choose his next role,” Kay from Cambridge said. “Not his fault his political party is an on-fire garbage can.”
Baker’s term in the governor’s office ends in just a few weeks and he will start as president of the NCAA on March 1. Below you’ll find a sampling of responses from readers sharing their thoughts on Baker’s next career steps and what they think he should be doing instead.
Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
What do you think about Gov. Charlie Baker becoming the next president of the NCAA?
He should be running for president of the U.S.A. instead!
“He is intelligent, reasonable, and moderate. He is also a good leader. All of these traits would serve him well in many different jobs, including this one. I would rather have him as our president.” — Evert F., Lancaster
“He may do an exemplary job in this new career move but I feel that as a moderate Republican he would be an ideal presidential candidate. His leadership as governor was surprisingly great to us (Independents, Democrats) and some, if not the majority, of Republicans. As a result, I personally believe that he could prevail in a national election.” — Cheryl C., Norton
“I think he’s wasting his political talent.” — Josh E., Brighton
“He is a very grounded individual and highly respected, something we have not had in several years for a presidential candidate. And while he may not have pleased every person every time over the last four years, myself included. I do believe he acted in the best interest of the Commonwealth and its people.” — Melissa, North Brookfield
“Great politician. I’m sure he’ll do a good job as head of the NCAA, but if you give me the choice, I’ll take him as our next president any day of the week, and twice on Sunday.” — Carlos R., Cambridge
“He can reach out to both sides to try to bring this country together. This is a semi-retirement job for him. Big disappointment!” — Joanne S., Brookline
Great move, a perfect fit.
“A departure from being governor or heading Harvard Pilgrim, obviously, but a good move for him. I think it will be less stressful for Baker than for either of those jobs, and I’m sure the remuneration will be substantial. I don’t blame him for getting out of politics. It must have been hell running the Commonwealth during the COVID crisis.” — Alfonse, Norton
“I think it’s fantastic because he’s a true leader, trustworthy, very smart, and he has a very successful resume. He will bring credibility back to the NCAA, and he will make the right decisions for them and the student-athletes. I’m impressed that the NCAA was smart to hire Charlie Baker!” — Mark L., Yarmouth
“I have loved Charlie as a governor here, I think he did a terrific job as a Republican governor in a heavily Democratic state. I think the decisions he made (especially around COVID) were very well thought out, and most importantly he provided the reasoning behind those decisions and stood by them when others questioned them and him. I think those traits will translate well in the NCAA. However, I do not envy the job ahead as Emmert left the NCAA a mess.” — Joe P., Waltham
“Good move…certainly better than the last few they’ve had in there! NCAA needs a businessman now as Charlie has proven to be quite competent!” — Mark D., Ipswich
“He is a person who gets along well with many stakeholders. He has made money in the private sector, so will know how to manage all that college sports money in a way that doesn’t seem as greedy as the sport looks now.” — Monte P., Burlington
It’s perplexing.
“Administratively, it’s a good choice. Policy, I’m not so sure. He strikes me as too corporate, too anti-labor, in a no man’s land where the exploitation of young black football players will continue, albeit in a new, mutated form. I hope I’m wrong.” — B.W., Shirley
“Too disconnected. A difficult time due to the newer money rules. It will be broken soon and he will not be able to fix it. Tough spot to damage your reputation.” — Tim G., Richford, Vt.
“Baker’s background in sports is pretty limited. He played basketball and track in high school, was on the JV basketball team at Harvard for one year, and later coached that team for a year. It doesn’t strike me as the background for somebody who will lead a major sports organization.” — Shirley D., Dorchester
Boston.com occasionally interacts with readers by conducting informal polls and surveys. These results should be read as an unscientific gauge of readers’ opinion.
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