Why the NCAA picked Baker

Also: New Hampshire holds tight to its FITN status; Harvard's next president [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  December 16, 2022 🌨️ Rain, with a high near 44 (and [heavy snow]( in the Berkshires) Good Morning Boston, TGIF! If any other prominent [elected officials]( or [institutions]( have big job news they'd like to announce, can you please do so soon? Because some of us need to finish our holiday shopping. To the news: - Gov. Charlie Baker says [his new gig as incoming NCAA president]( was "nowhere near my mind" a year ago when he decided not to run for reelection. But then "a couple months ago," the NCAA approached him. Why? Baker's only college sports experience is as a basketball player at Harvard; he spent most of his career in government and health care administration. But at this tumultuous moment for the NCAA, insiders and observers say that's what the organization needs. - Smith College economics professor Andrew Zimbalist told WBUR's Walter Wuthmann that Baker's political experience is the "obvious reason" the NCAA picked him. That's because the NCAA — reeling from court losses, including [a Supreme Court decision]( allowing college athletes to [make money from advertising deals]( — has been seeking the help of Congress to [regulate the changing landscape.]( The NCAA also wants an antitrust exemption that [would shield the organization from additional lawsuits]( that could force it to pay college athletes. "They want a politician who will be able to work the scenes in Congress," Zimbalist said. - In their words: "When you consider the priorities we have right now in the NCAA, it's hard to imagine a better fit than Governor Baker," Linda Livingstone, the chair of the NCAA Board of Governors, told reporters Thursday, adding that he has "showed a talent for working across party lines." - Another reason Baker got the job: a good reference from Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy. Len Perna, a recruiter who helped the NCAA with the search for a new president, [told Sports Business Journal]( that he called his friend Kennedy for help: "I mentioned to Sam the NCAA is looking for an executive who is passionate about higher education, ran a business and was also in government,” Perna said. "Sam laughed and said, ‘I think I might actually have somebody. Ever heard of Charlie Baker?’ " - What's next: Zimbalist says the antitrust exemption sought by the NCAA faces opposition from Democrats in Congress. But he does expect some form of legislative action in the near future — even if it's just trying to form a commission to study college sports and make recommendations. Baker also expressed optimism Thursday about potential action from Congress: "I've always just believed that sports have this tremendous power to bring people together." - Almost eight years after the project was first proposed, construction is slated to begin next month on the controversial East Boston electric substation. WBUR's Miriam Wasser [has the scoop on the plans here](. - Wasser reports that local environmental justice advocates, who have long opposed the project, were taken aback by how quick Eversource is moving ahead with construction after [getting final approval last month](. And they're not optimistic they'll be able to get a hearing for their planned appeal of the substation's special environmental certificate in time to stop construction. - Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is officially moving to fulfill a campaign pledge: overhauling the city's Inclusionary Development Policy, which requires developers to support a certain amount of affordable housing in order to get larger projects approved. It's one tool in the toolbox of ways to try to alleviate the city's affordable housing shortage. - Currently, [Boston's IDP policy]( requires developments with 10 or more units to include at least 13% income-restricted units (which developers can also build somewhere else or pay the city to build). Wu's proposal would increase the minimum percentage to 20%, while lowering the threshold to projects with seven or more units. - Wu is also proposing to hike the city's [linkage fee]( which charges commercial developers to support affordable housing. Both proposals have to go through a public hearing process and get approval from various city boards before taking effect. (Officials say that neither will affect any project currently under review.) - Heads up, transit-goers: There are two big, partial MBTA line shutdowns on the docket for this weekend so crews can do some track work. - Shuttle buses will replace [the Red Line's Ashmont leg]( and [all of the Green Line's B Branch west of the Babcock Street stop](. P.S.— Which team did former Red Sox player Xander Bogaerts sign with recently? Do you know the answer? Take [our Boston News Quiz]( and test your knowledge on the stories we covered this week. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [N.H. says it will continue to host the first presidential primary. Democrats have other ideas]( New Hampshire officials say they have no intention of giving up what might be the state's greatest claims to fame: The first in the nation presidential primary. 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[Read more.]( [Nahant hires federal officials to kill coyotes]( Town officials entered into an agreement with U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services to kill the coyotes using rifles. It's the first time a Massachusetts community has pursued such an option. [Read more.]( [Nahant hires federal officials to kill coyotes]( Town officials entered into an agreement with U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services to kill the coyotes using rifles. It's the first time a Massachusetts community has pursued such an option. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - After 17 years in business, the downtown Boston bar Good Life — known for its diverse music lineup and connections with homegrown DJs — will close permanently this weekend. WBUR's Arielle Gray [pays tribute to the establishment on its penultimate day](. - WBUR theater critic Jacquinn Sinclair [says the puppet-filled, onstage adaptation of "Life of Pi" is a "wondrous spectacle."]( You can catch the play in Cambridge through Jan. 29 before it moves to Broadway. - In the final episode of their series on artificial intelligence and bots, the Endless Thread team [visits Google, the frontier of AI, to see just how close the field is to creating bots with minds of their own](. - Here are [the 11 most-read Cognoscenti essays of the year]( — plus some favorites from the editors — featuring a wide range of topics, from COVID and death, to running and walking (lots of walking).  What We're Reading 📚 - Predictions for Journalism 2023 ([NiemanLab]( - Amid calls to increase policing at Mass. and Cass, overtime spending surges under Mayor Wu ([GBH News]( - They Fought the Lawn. And the Lawn Lost. ([The New York Times](  Tell Me Something Good [What would Fido say about you? This community poem takes pets' point of view]( NPR asked Morning Edition listeners to share what their pets might be thinking about. Then NPR poet-in-residence Kwame Alexander combed through more than 700 submissions to create a community poem. [Read more.]( [What would Fido say about you? This community poem takes pets' point of view]( NPR asked Morning Edition listeners to share what their pets might be thinking about. Then NPR poet-in-residence Kwame Alexander combed through more than 700 submissions to create a community poem. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common [conducts a holiday mental health check](. Before you go: Baker's [first act as NCAA president](. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news   Want to change how you receive these emails? 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