Major League Baseball would fund scholarships and exert greater influence over Division I college baseball under what would be an unprecedented partnership with the NCAA.
If an agreement is reached, it would be the first of its kind and could lead other professional organizations to enter partnerships with the NCAA.
The NCAA’s point man in the talks, University of Hartford President Walter Harrison, said it could take a year or longer for an agreement to be reached because new or amended legislation might be required.
“There is a lot for us to explore as an association,” Harrison said. “The one principle we have is that we want to be completely true to the core values of amateur collegiate baseball … I want to be cautious about whether this will happen or not. These are concepts at the moment.”
Still, Harrison said he could see similar arrangements occurring in other sports that generally produce no revenue for colleges. The PGA, for example, might one day help fund scholarships in golf, he said.
According to Harrison, five issues have been discussed with MLB: scholarships, ways to increase diversity, the calendar for the entry draft and College World Series, MLB’s involvement in summer leagues, and wooden bats. The discussions were first reported by CBSSports.com.
Oregon State coach Pat Casey told The Associated Press on Tuesday he sees only positives if MLB increases its involvement. North Carolina coach Mike Fox said he’s wary of becoming beholden to MLB.
