Trump signs executive order aimed at regulating college sports

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WASHINGTON DC: President Donald Trump has signed a major executive order aimed at restoring stability to college athletics by tightening eligibility and transfer rules. This move follows a high-profile ‘Saving College Sports’ roundtable held last month with sports icons like Nick Saban and Tiger Woods, where the President warned that the current ‘financial arms race’ could bankrupt universities and destroy non-revenue sports.

The order directs the NCAA and other governing bodies to implement a strict five-year limit on athletic eligibility to ensure that professional players cannot return to college sports. It also addresses the ‘transfer portal’ by allowing athletes only one free transfer during their college career, with a second transfer permitted only after they have earned a four-year degree.

Beyond eligibility, the order targets the financial side of the industry. It calls for a national registry of player agents and demands that third-party ‘pay-for-play’ schemes be curtailed. 

The President emphasized that these measures are necessary to protect funding for women’s and Olympic sports, which he argues are being sidelined as schools focus resources on million-dollar NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals for football and basketball players.

Enforcement of these new rules will be tied to federal funding. Institutions that fail to comply with the new eligibility and transfer standards by August 1 risk losing federal grants. 

While NCAA leadership has expressed appreciation for the administration’s attention to these issues, legal experts predict the order will face immediate challenges in court from athletes and third parties.

Photo Credits: AFP