U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that the country’s collegiate sports system could face collapse without immediate cost controls and a revised revenue structure for athletes.
Speaking at a White House summit on Friday with lawmakers and sports officials, Trump said he plans to issue an “all-encompassing” executive order within a week aimed at reforming the system. The move could trigger a legal challenge revisiting court-approved name, image and likeness (NIL) payments to college athletes.
Trump argued that the court settlement that created the NIL framework had placed severe financial pressure on many universities and threatened the broader education system.
“The whole educational system is going to go out of business because of this,” he said, stressing the need for urgent reforms in college athletics.
Participants at the meeting largely agreed that the rising costs linked to NIL payments must be addressed to stabilise the industry. Many expressed support for the proposed SCORE Act, which would provide limited antitrust exemptions for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and override differing state-level NIL regulations.
House Speaker Mike Johnson indicated that the bill could now gain sufficient support in Congress to pass.
Officials also warned that Olympic and women’s sports programmes could be particularly vulnerable, as their funding heavily relies on revenue generated from football and basketball.
U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland said growing economic pressure threatens both men’s and women’s sports programmes, highlighting the need for swift action to protect the future of collegiate athletics.
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