Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reason
Reason
Politics
Eugene Volokh

Trump Administration Trying to Pressure Broadcasters Not to Schedule Football Game Broadcasts for Same Time as Army-Navy Game

From Friday's Executive Order, "Preserving America's Game":

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.… (b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law ….

A few thoughts on why this strikes me as an attempt to unconstitutionally pressure broadcasters:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.