President Trump has vowed to “protect” the historic annual Army-Navy football game.
On Saturday night, Trump announced he plans to sign an executive order that would guarantee a four-hour “exclusive” broadcast window on the second Saturday in December reserved for the annual matchup between Army-West Point and the U.S. Naval Academy.
The announcement comes just hours before FBS conference commissioners are set to meet in Miami to discuss potential expansion of the 12-team CFP field (which was expanded from four teams just last year).
“Under my Administration, the second Saturday in December belongs to Army-Navy, and ONLY Army-Navy!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Saturday night. “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!!!”
The Army-Navy game is already normally the only FBS game on its given Saturday. But at least one of the expansion models would require CFP games earlier in December than they are currently scheduled—which could coincide with the Army-Navy game. CBS has the exclusive rights to Army-Navy; in an expanded CFP, ESPN or TNT could conceivably air games at the same time as the military game.
Trump’s executive order would be aimed at preventing any other CFP matchup from being played at the same time as Army-Navy.
The game could also be put in jeopardy if either school were to earn their way into the CFP field and then be pulled away from the rivalry game in an expanded format. However, that could be avoided by giving one of the programs a bye to play the rivalry game instead. (They may earn a bye anyway if they are seeded high enough and win the American conference championship.)
Commissioners have until Jan. 23 to decide on expansion for this upcoming season—a deadline given to them by ESPN—which would have to plan the logistics of the broadcast. While all commissioners will meet and discuss options, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey and Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti have the final sign-off on a format and must agree.
“On the field, they are rivals, but on the battlefield they are America’s unstoppable Patriots, defending our Country with tremendous Strength and Heart,” Trump wrote. “We must protect the Tradition, and the Players, who protect us.”
