Saving College Sports

This EO establishes an executive branch policy to preserve and expand women's and non-revenue college sports, setting revenue-based expectations for athletic departments (those above $125 million in 2024-2025 revenue should expand non-revenue scholarships, those above $50 million should maintain them) and declaring third-party pay-for-play payments to collegiate athletes improper. It directs the Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, to develop an implementation plan within 30 days; directs the Secretary of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board to clarify the employment status of collegiate athletes; and directs the Attorney General and the FTC Chairman, within 60 days, to review litigation positions and develop a plan to protect collegiate athletics from antitrust and other legal challenges.

Collegiate athletic departments with greater than $125,000,000 in revenue to Collegiate athletic departments with greater than $125,000,000 in revenue during the 2024-2025 athletic season should provide more scholarship opportunities in non-revenue sports than during the 2024-2025 season and provide the maximum number of roster spots for non-revenue sports permitted under applicable collegiate athletic rules (2025-2026 athletic season and future athletic seasons). Collegiate athletic departments with greater than $50,000,000 in revenue to Collegiate athletic departments with greater than $50,000,000 in revenue during the 2024-2025 athletic season should provide at least as many scholarship opportunities in non-revenue sports as during the 2024-2025 season and provide the maximum number of roster spots for non-revenue sports permitted under applicable collegiate athletic rules (2025-2026 athletic season and future athletic seasons). Collegiate athletic departments with $50,000,000 or less in revenue or without revenue-generating sports to Collegiate athletic departments with $50,000,000 or less in revenue, or without revenue-generating sports, should not disproportionately reduce scholarship opportunities or roster spots for sports based on the revenue the sport generates (2025-2026 athletic season and future athletic seasons). Universities to Universities should not permit third-party, pay-for-play payments to collegiate athletes, excluding compensation reflecting fair market value provided to a third party such as a brand endorsement (unclear).

No known legal challenges.