WASHINGTON — On Friday, President Donald Trump promulgated an executive directive, prohibiting the broadcast of the College Football Playoff and other post-season games concurrently with the yearly Army-Navy confrontation in December.
The President mandated that the Secretary of Commerce and the FCC chair collaborate with the collegiate gridiron championship committee, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and associated broadcasting rights holders. Their task was to secure a dedicated broadcast slot for the legendary contest, customarily held on the second Saturday of every December.
The presidential decree alludes to a prospective enlargement of the CFP, which would probably necessitate a commencement at an earlier date for the playoff. During the initial two years of the twelve-team structure, the opening-round matches occurred on the weekend following the Army-Navy game.
For the current year, the Army-Navy contest is slated for December 12 at MetLife Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The initial round of CFP contests are, in turn, scheduled for December 18-19.
Should the championship tournament enlarge to include 24 teams, a schema that has been deliberated, an additional week of matches would be indispensable. Commencing the post-season earlier in December would warrant contemplation. Nevertheless, a more modest enlargement to sixteen teams would not inherently alter the duration in weeks needed for the playoff.
“These calendaring clashes diminish national attention toward our Military Service Academies and divert from a spirit-lifting occasion of vital interest to the Department of War,” the presidential directive articulated. “Consequently, it is the stance of the United States that no collegiate gridiron contest, particularly the CFP or other playoff matchups, be televised in a fashion that directly clashes with the Army-Navy Game.”
Army and Navy have competed annually since 1930, even through the pandemic-modified 2020 season and throughout World War II. One hundred twenty-six encounters have transpired, with additional impartial venues comprising the NFL stadiums of the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens.