President Trump mulls executive order to 'preserve college sports': What a draft calls for [View all]

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https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6500773/2025/07/17/president-trump-executive-order-college-sports/

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(Photo: Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images)

As the future of college sports faces continued legal and legislative friction, President Donald Trump could soon get involved in the form of an executive order that seeks to “preserve college athletics” through antitrust protections and clarity on student-athlete status. A draft of an executive order titled “Saving College Sports” was obtained by The Athletic on Thursday, but it is not believed to be a finalized version.

It is unclear if or when such an executive order will be formalized, but Trump has considered taking executive action on college sports for months. CBS News reported this week that the president was set to sign an order related to name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation for college athletes. Yahoo! Sports first reported on the contents of an executive order draft on Thursday. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The seven-page draft directs the Secretary of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board to address the debate over the employment status of college athletes. “Ongoing litigation seeks to transform student-athletes into employees, which would make college sports financially untenable for many, if not most, schools,” the draft states.

It also directs members of President Trump’s cabinet and other political officials to pursue policy and protections in a number of other areas related to college sports, including rules that could be challenged by antitrust complaints and continued opportunity for scholarships and roster spots, along with preventing “unqualified or unscrupulous agents from representing athletes.” The draft also calls for better uniformity with federal and state laws, and safeguarding the role college sports have played in the development of Olympic athletes.

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