TRUMP MOVES TO PROTECT ARMY–NAVY GAME WITH EXCLUSIVE BROADCAST WINDOW

America’s Game won’t compete with other college football matchups—at least while President Trump is in office.

Over the weekend, the President announced he plans to sign an executive order blocking postseason college football from overlapping with the annual Army-Navy game, granting the rivalry an exclusive four-hour national broadcast window.

A Tradition That Once Stood Alone

Historically, the Army-Navy game has stood alone on the second Saturday in December, positioned between conference championships and the bowl season. But that tradition began to blur this year.

The 2025 matchup, a 17-16 Navy victory, kicked off December 13 at 3:00 p.m. ET, just 30 minutes before the LA Bowl featuring Boise State and Washington. Now, as college football eyes expansion, the pressure on the calendar is growing.

Expansion Pressures on the Calendar

The sport crowned its national champion Monday night, and commissioners are already debating whether to expand the College Football Playoff to as many as 24 teams. CFP leaders face a January 23 deadline to finalize plans, and some proposals have suggested moving the Army–Navy Game earlier in December — or even into the regular season — to make room for additional playoff games.

Trump, who attended the national championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, addressed the issue beforehand with a lengthy post on Truth Social:

The Army-Navy Game is one of our Greatest American Traditions — Unmatched Patriotism, Courage, and Honor! This incredible Tradition is now at risk of being pushed aside by more College Playoff Games, and Big TV Money. NOT ANYMORE! 

Under my Administration, the second Saturday in December belongs to Army-Navy, and ONLY Army-Navy! I will soon sign a Historic Executive Order securing an EXCLUSIVE 4-hour Broadcast window, so this National Event stands above Commercial Postseason Games. No other Game or Team can violate this Time Slot!!!

On the field, they are rivals, but on the battlefield they are America’s unstoppable Patriots, defending our Country with tremendous Strength and Heart. We must protect the Tradition, and the Players, who protect us. Please let this serve as Notice to ALL Television Networks, Stations, and Outlets. God Bless America, and God Bless our great Army-Navy Game!!!

-President Donald J. Trump

If Signed, What Would the Executive Order Do?

If signed and enforced, the executive order would serve as a formal notice to television networks—and could ripple across the sports media landscape:

• Paramount, which owns CBS and Paramount+, holds the exclusive broadcast rights to the Army-Navy game through 2038. An exclusive window would likely boost ratings and ad revenue for the network.
• Challenges for Disney and Warner Bros.: The order could disrupt scheduling for ESPN (Disney) and TNT (Warner Bros. Discovery), which hold the rights to the College Football Playoff games.
• Legal Scrutiny: Legal experts and telecommunications lawyers have already raised questions regarding the executive branch's authority to dictate private network scheduling. While the FCC has certain regulatory powers over broadcast television, critics argue that the First Amendment and existing commerce laws may limit the President's ability to enforce a total "blackout" of other games.

With the CFP’s expansion deadline looming, the proposed order adds a new political and logistical layer to an already complicated negotiation.

For now, the administration’s message is clear: on the second Saturday in December, the field belongs to the Midshipmen and the Black Knights — and no one else.

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