TLDR:
- President Trump signed an executive order blocking other football games from airing during the Army-Navy game’s time slot.
- The order sets a protected four-hour broadcast window on the second Saturday of December.
- Mr. Trump said the College Football Playoff expansion had been crowding out the beloved military tradition.
- He signed the order after presenting the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy to the Navy Midshipmen at the White House.
President Trump signed an executive order Friday reserving a four-hour broadcast window on the second Saturday of December exclusively for the Army-Navy football game — barring any other game, including powerhouses like Ohio State and Notre Dame, from competing on television during that time.
Mr. Trump signed the order at the White House after presenting the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy to the Navy Midshipmen football team at a ceremony in the East Room.
“The annual Army-Navy game is truly one of the most special occasions in all of sports, but in recent years the College Football Playoff expansion has encroached on this sacred four-hour time slot traditionally reserved for Army-Navy,” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Trump said the tradition transcends football itself.
“Nobody’s going to play football for four hours during that very special time in December,” he said. “It’s preserved forever for the Army-Navy game.”
The Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy goes to the winner of the college football series among the Army, Navy and Air Force academies. Navy claimed the trophy for the second straight year after beating Army 17-16 in December at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
“I just want to congratulate the Midshipmen,” Mr. Trump said. “I met ’em backstage, and they’re great.”
Read more:
• Trump bars broadcast of other football games during Army-Navy contest
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