Trump Executive Order Addresses College Sports Funding
An April 2026 executive order directs Congress to protect funding for non-revenue college sports. The order responds to concerns that direct athlete payments will reduce support for Olympic and women's programs.
foxnews.comThe order states that without a national solution, major programs may withdraw resources from those sports as they negotiate direct payments to athletes. It also directs the Department of Education to require colleges to report roster spots and spending by gender.
Background on athlete compensation changes Universities are preparing to distribute up to $20.5 million per school in the 2025-26 academic year under the House v. NCAA settlement. The settlement allocates 90 percent of retroactive payments to football and men's basketball players, 5 percent to women's basketball, and 5 percent to all other athletes.
Several tennis programs have already been eliminated this spring. Men's tennis participation in Division I fell from 258 programs in 2010 to 237 in 2025.
reporting requirements The order requires annual reporting of spending and participation numbers. It does not alter existing Title IX rules that mandate equal opportunity by gender. The administration previously removed NIL guidance that had required equitable distribution of name, image and likeness compensation under Title IX.
"Without strong Title IX guardrails, many schools will continue to pour money into men's athletics while under-resourcing women's sports," Shiwali Patel of the National Women's Law Center said in a statement. Georgia football coach Kirby Smart stated his concern that revenue sports could reduce support for other programs.
Arizona State sports historian Victoria Jackson said some universities are likely to cut teams despite the order.
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- The Guardian reported: President Trump issued an executive order in April 2026 on college sports.
- The Guardian reported: The House v NCAA settlement will award $2.8 billion in retroactive NIL earnings.
- The Guardian reported: Schools may distribute up to $20.5 million per year in direct payments to athletes beginning in the 2025-26 academic year.
- The Guardian reported: The executive order states that without a national solution the largest college football programs may withdraw financial and other resources from women’s and Olympic sports.
- The Guardian reported: Under the House v NCAA settlement, approximately 90% of retroactive payments go to football and men’s basketball players, 5% to women’s basketball, and 5% to all other athletes.
- The Guardian reported: The executive order encourages Congress to pass legislation addressing these issues.
- The Guardian reported: Estimates project average annual payments exceeding $200,000 for men’s basketball players and six figures for football players in major conferences.
- The Guardian reported: The median Power Five athletics department showed a $13.7 million loss in 2024 when including institutional and government support.
- The Guardian reported: Estimates project average annual payments of approximately $16,700 for women’s basketball players in major conferences.
- The Guardian reported: University of Louisville administrators warned in March that Olympic-sport athletes face reduced stipends, diminished Alston payments, scholarship reductions, or program elimination.
- The Guardian reported: 75% of the 2024 US Olympic team participated in college sports.
- The Guardian reported: Trump’s Department of Education scrapped Title IX NIL guidance.
- The Guardian reported: Men’s tennis programs in Division I decreased from 258 in 2010 to 237 in 2025.
- The Guardian reported: Georgia football coach Kirby Smart stated that the sport risks ruining all other sports due to resource allocation.
- The Guardian reported: Several college tennis programs were eliminated in spring 2026.
- The Guardian reported: NCAA men’s participation in sports has roughly doubled since 1982 while women’s participation has nearly quadrupled.
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