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Preserving America’s Game

SignedJune 11, 2026
Executive Order·Donald Trump·College Football
Why This Matters

No college football games can be broadcast on the second Saturday in December, ensuring that the Army-Navy Game remains the sole focus on that date.

This change means that fans will not see other college football games competing for attention with the Army-Navy Game, which is seen as a significant event honoring military traditions.
College football fans, broadcasters, and the teams involved in postseason games will be directly affected by this new scheduling rule.
What You Need to Know

No college football games will be allowed to air on the second Saturday in December, the traditional date for the Army-Navy Game. The Secretary of Commerce and the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission will work with various sports organizations to create an exclusive broadcast window for this historic matchup. The goal is to ensure that the Army-Navy Game remains a national focus and a morale-building event for the military community.

This order addresses concerns that the expansion of the College Football Playoffs and other postseason games could overshadow the Army-Navy Game, which has been a symbol of American spirit and military pride for over a century. By preventing scheduling conflicts, the order aims to preserve the significance of this event, which is vital to the Department of War and the nation’s military culture.

Next steps involve coordination between federal agencies and sports organizations to implement the new broadcasting rules. The Chairman of the FCC may also review broadcast obligations to reinforce the Army-Navy Game's status as a national service event.

Who is affected?

College football fans, broadcasters, and the teams involved in postseason games will be directly affected by this new scheduling rule.

Read on WhiteHouse.govwhitehouse.gov
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Presidential Actions

PRESERVING AMERICA’S GAME

Executive Orders

Executive Order 14396

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1.  Purpose.  For over a century, the Army-Navy Game, known as “America’s Game,” has stood as a symbol of excellence and the American spirit.  Now, the recent and potentially ongoing expansion of the College Football Playoffs (CFP) and other postseason college football games threatens to encroach upon the second Saturday in December — a date traditionally reserved exclusively for “America’s Game.”  Such scheduling conflicts weaken the national focus on our Military Service Academies and detract from a morale-building event of vital interest to the Department of War.  Accordingly, it is the policy of the United States that no college football game, specifically college football’s CFP or other postseason games, be broadcast in a manner that directly conflicts with the Army‑Navy Game. 

Sec. 2.  Implementation.  (a)  The Secretary of Commerce and the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) shall coordinate with the CFP Committee, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, related organizations, other appropriate Government agencies, and the playoffs’ broadcast and media rights partners with the goal of establishing an exclusive window for the Army-Navy Game, during which no other college football game is broadcast.

(b)  The Chairman of the FCC shall consider reviewing the public interest obligations of broadcast licensees to determine whether those obligations would require that the Army-Navy Game remain a national service event.

Sec. 3.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

(d)  The costs for publication of this order shall be borne by the Department of War.

                             DONALD J. TRUMP

THE WHITE HOUSE,

    March 20, 2026.

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