For the last few years, college sports, from the NIL perspective, have been in disarray. While the Supreme Court ruling of 2021 has helped college athletes make money using their name, image, and likeness, the process is heavily unregulated. To get rid of that problem, President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Thursday, titled “SAVING COLLEGE SPORTS.”
While Trump claims his move is going to save college sports, not everyone is convinced by his proposal. Andy Staples of Andy & Ari recently commented on the president’s order and said:
“Does it actually save college sports? I don’t know. I think it probably does a whole lot of nothing…There is a potential if they really wanted to go crazy, where they could do a lot of stuff, but I don’t think they’re going to.” (17:53)
Trump’s order prohibits third-party pay-for-play. It restricts boosters and other third parties from paying players to join a school. It’s worth noting that athletes can still do NIL deals and make money through ads, brand promotions, etc. However, under the proposed order, athletes can only make money through real services at “fair market value.”
Staples noted that there’s nothing unique in Trump’s order:
“Here’s the thing, that’s already against the rules in college sports. The NCAA prohibits that and has prohibited it since NIL became allowed in 2021. So, the way they’ve been paying these players all along, is within these guidelines.” (18:26)
Trump’s order is not a law, but it calls for the implementation of policies for better regulation. Even though Staples is among those who aren’t pleased by the order, there’s another side to the story where people are welcoming this move from the president.
Nick Saban supports President Donald Trump’s Executive Order
Sportscaster and former college football coach Nick Saban has openly shown his support for Trump’s executive order. He believes it’s a step in the right direction in creating a better model for college sports.
Saban recently appeared on Fox News to talk about Trump’s move and said:
“I think President Trump’s Executive Order takes a huge step in providing the educational model that has always been what we’ve tried to promote to create opportunities for players. I think we sort of need to make a decision here.”
Saban believes it’s a matter of choice here. He noted that Trump’s proposal is for an education-based model against one that favors “universities sponsor professional teams.” In his opinion, if given a choice, most people would go with the former.
The critics of the order are against it because it’ll affect the amount of money players can make. Regardless of one’s personal preference, it’s too soon to predict where this is all headed right now.
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in football, basketball, and more!
