President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Friday aimed at maintaining an exclusive time window in December for the annual Army-Navy football game.
Played on the second weekend of December since 2009, it is typically a standalone game on the college football schedule and followed by the Heisman Trophy ceremony later that night. However, discussion about a potential expansion of the College Football Playoff has included an additional round of games that would also be played the same weekend.
The current 12-team playoff has begun with first-round games taking place the following weekend for the past two years. If the CFP is eventually expanded to 24 games, at least one additional round of games will be required.
Complicating matters is that it is also the final weekend that the NFL is not allowed to schedule games on Saturday’s due to the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961.
“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,” Friday’s order read. “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.”
Before 2009, the Army-Navy game had traditionally been played the final weekend of November or the first weekend of December. It was moved to the second weekend of December to avoid conference championship games and improve television ratings.
Whether Friday’s action is enforceable remains to be seen. Executive orders are only directives for federal agencies and the executive branch, and this order directs the FCC chairperson to work with the CFP committee, the NCAA and media partners to protect the exclusive Army-Navy window.
This year’s Army-Navy game is scheduled for Dec. 12 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The first round of CFP games are scheduled to take place Dec. 18-19.
The Army-Navy game has taken place every year since 1930 and has been contested 126 times overall.
