in effect
Executive Order 14322, signed July 24, 2025, is a presidential directive aimed at stabilizing college athletics by setting federal policy on athlete compensation, scholarship protections, and the legal treatment of intercollegiate sports rules. It instructs several federal agencies to develop plans, issue guidance, and take enforcement or litigation actions to carry out that policy.
Athletic departments earning over $125 million in revenue during 2024–2025 are directed to increase scholarship opportunities in non-revenue sports and offer the maximum roster spots those sports allow; departments earning $50–125 million must hold steady at their current scholarship levels; smaller programs may not disproportionately cut lower-revenue sports. Third-party “pay-for-play” payments to athletes are declared improper policy — distinguished from legitimate endorsement deals at fair market value, which remain permitted. The Secretary of Education has 30 days to produce an enforcement plan covering Title IX, federal funding decisions, and interstate commerce challenges to state NIL laws. The Attorney General and FTC Chair have 60 days to review and revise litigation positions and antitrust guidelines affecting college sports. The Secretary of Labor and the NLRB are directed to clarify whether college athletes are employees, with guidance aimed at maximizing educational benefits.
Universities and their athletic departments — especially high-revenue programs — face new federal policy expectations about how they allocate scholarships and handle athlete pay, with potential consequences tied to federal funding and enforcement. College athletes are affected by the administration’s position that direct third-party recruiting payments should end, while fair-market endorsement income is preserved. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and athlete organizations are to be consulted on protecting the pipeline of collegiate talent for international competition.