LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – College sports have been looking less like organized competition and more like the Wild West lately – so now President Donald Trump is stepping in with a whistle and a rulebook.
On Friday, April 3, Trump signed an executive order titled “Urgent National Action to Save College Sports,” aimed at restoring order to the chaos surrounding NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals, transfer portal free-for-alls, and a patchwork of conflicting state laws. And in Big Ten country, the response is applause.
Opening whistle blown – now the ball’s in Congress’s hands.
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Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti thanked Trump while making it clear this is just the opening kickoff. The conference is now urging Congress to pass legislation.
In the press release sent out from the White House, Petitti is quoted as saying, “The Big Ten Conference would like to thank President Trump for his leadership and continuing efforts to protect college athletics and joins him in urging Congress to quickly pass legislation addressing the critical issues undermining its long-term stability. Consistent with President Trump’s executive order, the bipartisan SCORE Act thoughtfully addresses name, image, and likeness for student-athletes, protecting academic and athletic opportunities provided through women’s and Olympic sports programs, and expands resources to support student-athletes on and off the field. We will continue to work with a broad coalition of college sports stakeholders and members of Congress to enact this legislation.”
Chaos fatigue is real.
Even beyond the Big Ten, there’s broad agreement that college athletics has become a patchwork mess. NCAA President Charlie Baker noted the system still needs a “permanent, bipartisan federal legislative solution,” despite welcoming the executive action.
Meanwhile, coaches, administrators, and others – from Nick Saban to conference commissioners – are signaling the same thing: the current system isn’t sustainable.
What this means for Michigan schools.
For powerhouse programs like University of Michigan and Michigan State University, national rules could mean fewer recruiting gray areas and more predictability in a landscape that’s been anything but stable.
