President Donald Trump plans to create commission on college athletics: Sources
A federal commission on college athletics appears to be in the works after President Donald Trump directed aides to explore ways the administration could help an American institution that is struggling to transition from outdated amateurism to something that operates more like professional sports.
After speaking last week with former Alabama football coach Nick Saban, who is concerned that college sports is being harmed by the big money pouring into it to compensate athletes with little regulation, The New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported Trump was interested in weighing in with an executive order.
Yahoo! Sports reported Wednesday that Trump is planning to create a presidential commission to examine a long list of issues facing college sports, from booster-funded payments and transfer rules to conference alignment and Title IX.
Two people briefed on the White House's interest in forming a commission confirmed the report to The Athletic . The people spoke on condition of anonymity because nothing was announced by the White House and details about the plan were sparse — such as who the President would appoint to the commission.
A presidential commission would typically dig into various aspects of an issue or enterprise and deliver a report suggesting possible solutions that could involve executive and legislative action. Earlier this month, Trump signed an executive order creating the Religious Liberty Commission.
A spokeswoman for Rep. Michael Baumgartner, a freshman Republican from Washington who recently put forth an expansive bill to reform college sports, said he welcomed Trump's involvement.
'College sports is a highly subsidized public good and should be regulated like the public good it is. A presidential commission offers the chance to bring fiscal sanity; restore regional conferences and competitive balance; and protect the future of non-revenue and Olympic sports,' the spokeswoman said in a statement to The Athletic .
It's unclear how a commission would impact — if it all — the current developments in college sports, including a potential landmark agreement to settle a trio of antitrust lawsuits facing the NCAA and major conferences and establish for the first time a system of direct payments from schools to athletes.
The settlement awaits final approval from a federal judge, who ordered the defendants to tweak part of the agreement that sets new roster limits for NCAA Division I schools that opt into the deal.
The latest revised filing has been made in the House v. NCAA settlement, regarding roster limits.
Any athlete who has been or would have been cut as a result of the settlement can be "grandfathered in," meaning they will not count against the new roster limits for the duration… pic.twitter.com/Wco5hLoVyt
— Justin Williams (@Williams_Justin) May 7, 2025
College sports leaders and attorneys for the defendants remain confident the judge will sign off on the deal.
Even if the settlement is approved, college sports leaders have acknowledged that it will need the backing of federal legislation, which they have been lobbying Congress for years.
Tom McMillen, the former Democratic congressman who for several years led an association of athletic directors whose schools compete at the highest level of Division I, praised Trump for getting involved.
'I give President Trump a lot of credit. This is a time to bring the best minds in college sports together, in higher education, and figure a model out,' said McMillen, who has known Trump for more than 50 years.
'He's always had a big interest in sports. It really fits his kind of whole M.O.'
Applauding @POTUS Trump for considering a presidential commission on college sports—something I first called for 11 years ago. The conversation is long overdue.👇 https://t.co/7W7ZyFdpFE https://t.co/EsKuyM0Ssy
— Tom McMillen (@TomMcMillen611) May 7, 2025
McMillen first called for a presidential commission on college sports more than a decade ago. He said that while there has been some progress toward a bipartisan bill in Congress, with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) leading the efforts, presidential leadership could help prioritize the issue for Congress.
'I've always said you're going to need a presidential push to get something done,' said McMillen, who was a star basketball player at Maryland, a longtime NBA player and member of the 1972 Olympic team.
He also recalled how a commission on Olympic Sports that was formed by President Gerald Ford in 1975 led to the Amateur Sports Act of 1978 and substantive reform that boosted the United States' performance in subsequent games.
A commission on college sports could help lead to long-term reform without interrupting what is already in motion, McMillen said.
'Not gonna be overnight, but it could be very, very symbolic and very significant for higher ed and college sports, and for America,' McMillen said.
— Chris Vannini and Justin Williams contributed to this story.
(Photo: Francis Chung / Politico / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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