President Donald Trump will sign an executive order reforming college sports, as universities ask for uniform rules over athlete pay.
According to CBS News, Trump will sign the order in the coming days. The move could supersede state laws on so-called name, image, and likeness deals, which allow star athletes to make millions of dollars playing college football and basketball.
The sports world has seen sweeping changes this decade, with the introduction of NIL in 2021 and a recent legal settlement paving the way for direct payments from schools to players beginning this month. Players, who for more than 100 years were strictly banned by the NCAA from profiting off their performance, are now raking in millions of dollars, sometimes signing eight-figure deals before finishing high school.
The Washington Examiner contacted the White House seeking comment.
Along with payments, the college sports transfer market has also been loosened. In the past, players usually spent their four-year career at a single institution, but now, some are joining the rosters of three or even four teams before their academic career is up.
However, Trump and Congress could try to stem the tide of change as the NCAA and colleges seek to end the patchwork of state laws governing NIL and athlete pay.
After speaking at the University of Alabama in May, Trump reportedly named retired football coach Nick Saban to a presidential commission on college sports, though Saban later downplayed the report.
Saban, who won repeated national titles coaching the Crimson Tide, was slated to co-chair the commission along with former Texas Tech player Cody Campbell. Campbell is a distinguished fellow at the pro-Trump America First Policy Institute.
Last month, Trump played a round of golf with Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey and Notre Dame Athletic Director Pete Bevacqua, according to Yahoo! Sports, during which they discussed the industry’s future.
Trump’s plans for college sports are unclear. However, Saban, who played and spent most of his coaching career in the pre-NIL era, has argued that more regulation is needed to stabilize college football and level the playing field.
Congress is also getting involved. Earlier this week, a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee advanced the SCORE Act, which would standardize NIL regulations.
“College athletics are central to American culture, and it’s clear that a national framework is long overdue,” Chairman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) said in a release. “I’m proud of our subcommittee’s work and look forward to advancing a measure that empowers student-athletes while preserving the core educational mission of our colleges and universities.”
Bilirakis argued that the bill would provide a sustainable future for college sports, especially women’s and nonrevenue Olympic sports. However, opponents have said it would weigh too heavily in favor of the NCAA.
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Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), a former college football coach, is also active in the space and joined Trump in Alabama in May.
Trump has a long history of involvement in the sports world. He famously won an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL in the 1980s that netted only $3 in damages. He is also a longtime boxing and mixed martial arts fan and wants to stage an MMA fight at the White House to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday.