Trump Welcomes NCAA Champions to the White House
WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump is set to host over 100 NCAA champions at the White House on Tuesday afternoon.
The president will meet with the athletes in the state cafeteria at 4 p.m. ET. According to White House officials, champions from various sports and universities will gather to celebrate NCAA College National Champions Day.
Participating teams include Oklahoma State men’s golf, Texas A&M women’s volleyball, Wake Forest men’s tennis, Georgia women’s tennis, Youngstown State women’s bowling, West Virginia Mixed Rifle, and Florida State women’s soccer.
This event takes place just weeks after Trump issued an executive order aimed at reforming college sports. Key changes involve restricting how often players can transfer schools without facing penalties and establishing limits on eligibility years.
The order, titled “Urgent National Action to Save College Sports,” specifies that student-athletes will receive a five-year eligibility period, with few exceptions for military service, missionary work, and other periods of nonparticipation deemed necessary for the public interest.
Moreover, each student-athlete is granted one transfer during this five-year eligibility period and an additional transfer if they complete a four-year degree.
Former Alabama football coach Nick Saban has expressed support for Trump’s decision, stating, “Today’s executive order by President Trump is an important step toward restoring stability in college sports. Ensuring the long-term health of college sports is in the interest of all Americans, and I thank the President for his leadership on this important issue.”
Earlier in March, Trump also took measures to protect the time slot for the Army-Navy football game, preventing other games from being scheduled within that four-hour window. “Nobody plays four hours of football at a special time of the year in December,” Trump remarked. “It’s saved forever for the Army-Navy game.” He added, “If you don’t want to watch soccer, you don’t have to watch it, but if you want to watch soccer, you only have to watch one game.”
