Executive Orders – The White House

Preserving America’s Game

2026-03-20 · 15:51 UTC ·The White House ·2 min read

Brief

The White House order frames the Army-Navy Game as a century-old morale and national-service event whose visibility is being diluted by the expanding College Football Playoff schedule. Rather than mandating a direct ban, it instructs Commerce and the FCC to coordinate with sports governing bodies and media partners to preserve a conflict-free broadcast window, while exploring whether broadcast-license public-interest standards could support that outcome.

Why it matters

A March 20, 2026 executive order directs the Secretary of Commerce and FCC Chair to work with the College Football Playoff committee, NCAA, and broadcast-rights partners to create an exclusive national broadcast window for the Army-Navy Game on the second Saturday in December.

Key details

  • The order states U.S. policy that no college football game—specifically CFP or other postseason games—should be broadcast in direct conflict with the Army-Navy Game, citing playoff expansion as a threat to the event’s traditional standalone slot.
  • The FCC is asked to consider whether broadcasters’ public-interest obligations should treat the Army-Navy Game as a national service event; the order also says it creates no privately enforceable rights and must be implemented subject to existing law and appropriations.
Source evidence

title: Preserving America’s Game
author: The White House
contenttype: article
publication: Executive Orders – The White House
published: 2026-03-20T15:51:24+00:00
sourceurl: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/03/preserving-americas-game/

word_count: 450

Presidential Actions Executive Orders Search Select Category All News Articles Briefings & Statements All Presidential Actions Executive Orders Nominations & Appointments Presidential Memoranda Proclamations Fact Sheets Remarks Research All Articles Briefings & Statements Presidential Actions All Executive Orders Nominations & Appointments Presidential Memoranda Proclamations Fact Sheets Remarks Research 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. The post Preserving America’s Game appeared first on The White House .