In NCAA streamlining, the big conferences get more power, but not everything they wanted
The Southeastern Conference had been pushing for it and the other three power conferences to receive a 17% voting share on the newly reshaped Division I Board of Directors, so that if one of the four conferences disagreed with a proposal the others could still band together to pass it with 51% of the vote.
But the legislation only increased their voting share to 16.1% each, which gives each conference power to waylay a policy it doesn't like.
The D-I board deals with finances, litigation and infractions unrelated to conditions set in the $2.8 billion antitrust settlement that allows schools to pay players as of July 1.
Though the NCAA plays virtually no role in overseeing Bowl Subdivision football, which is run by the College Football Playoff, this is the latest in an ongoing push to give the biggest, football-playing schools more autonomy in making decisions across the college landscape. The vote also won't directly impact the future of March Madness, where expansion has been on the docket but won't come this year.
Separately, the D-I board introduced a proposal to create three additional 'units' to pay out for the men's and women's basketball tournaments. They would go to the finalists in each tournament. 'Units' are worth around $2 million and are commonly distributed to the conferences of the teams that play.
The main business of this week's meetings was to reduce the number of members on the board from 24 to 13 people, with the representatives from the Power Four having a little more than four times the voting power than the rest. If one Power Four member disagreed with the other three, then one of the other nine members could still help a measure pass by voting in favor of it.
In May, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said the reason he sought more voting power was 'because you can't just have someone walk away at that level among four and everything stops.'
The NCAA touted the elimination of about 32% of its Division I committees as a strong signal that a long-running streamlining process was working. It also said athletes will have 40 more seats across 30 committees and will have voting seats on almost all them.
Neither Sankey nor the other three Power Four commissioners immediately responded to requests from The Associated Press for comment.
In a news release, the NCAA supplied reaction from six college sports leaders, only one of whom — Virginia Tech President Tim Sands, who is chair of the NCAA board — represented a power conference.
'The board's vote to implement this new structure reflects the association's commitment to a modernized approach to governing ourselves moving forward,' Sands said.
Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gil, who is chair of the men's basketball committee for the upcoming season, said he applauded the board's work.
'While I recognize that all constituencies did not get everything they desired, it is a good governance framework that will allow all of us to thrive amidst the evolving collegiate athletics landscape,' Gil said.
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AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports
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All statements addressing operating performance, events, or developments that EnerSys expects or anticipates will occur in the future, including statements relating to sales growth, continuing to pay cash dividends at the current rate, earnings or earnings per share growth, its intention to pay quarterly cash dividends and return capital to stockholders, execution of its stock repurchase program, and market share, as well as statements expressing optimism or pessimism about future operating results or benefits from either its cash dividend or its stock repurchase programs, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Reform Act. The forward-looking statements are based on management's current views and assumptions regarding future events and operating performance, and are inherently subject to significant business, economic, and competitive uncertainties and contingencies and changes in circumstances, many of which are beyond EnerSys' control. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, even if subsequently made available by EnerSys on its website or otherwise. EnerSys does not undertake any obligation to update or revise these statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release. Although EnerSys does not make forward-looking statements unless it believes it has a reasonable basis for doing so, EnerSys cannot guarantee their accuracy. For a list of other factors which could affect EnerSys' results, including earnings estimates, see EnerSys' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including 'Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,' and 'Forward-Looking Statements,' set forth in EnerSys' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025. 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