On March 6, 2026, President Donald Trump hosted a “Saving College Sports Roundtable” at the White House to address what he described as a rapidly deteriorating landscape in college athletics.
The discussion focused on legislative solutions, particularly regarding Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) payments to student-athletes.
Attendees included a diverse group of over three dozen figures, such as former coaches Nick Saban and Urban Meyer, NCAA President Charlie Baker, commissioners of the Power Four conferences, athletic directors, and various sports executives and political figures.
The roundtable aimed to find solutions for stabilizing the college sports industry, which has seen significant changes since the NCAA allowed athletes to profit from their NIL in 2021.
This shift has led to concerns about the amount of money being spent and lost by successful schools.
President Trump announced that he would issue another executive order within a week to address some of the discussed problems, following a previous order signed in July 2025.
Attendees
The “Saving College Sports” roundtable, hosted by President Donald Trump at the White House on March 6, 2026, included over 50 attendees from various backgrounds in politics, business, and sports.
President Trump chaired the event, with Vice Chairs including
Secretary of State Marco Rubio
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
New York Yankees President Randy Levine
Notable figures present were
NCAA President Charlie Baker
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver
former college football coach Nick Saban
former college football coach Urban Meyer
Other attendees included
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson
Commissioner of the ACC Jim Phillips
Commissioner of the SEC Greg Sankey
Commissioner of the Big 12 Brett Yormark
Commissioner of the Big Ten Tony Petitti
American Conference Commissioner Tim Pernetti
Notre Dame Athletic Director Pete Bevacqua
Texas Tech NIL co-founder Cody Campbell
CEO of the USA Olympic Committee, Sarah Hirshland
New York Yankees President Randy Levine, who was a vice chair, agreed with the discussions about the current system.
While numerous prominent figures from college sports, professional sports, and politics were present, no current college athletes were invited to attend the roundtable.
This absence was noted, and the advocacy group Athletes.org released a statement expressing concern about the lack of student-athlete inclusion in the discussions.
Invited individuals who were unable to attend included
professional golfer Tiger Woods
professional golfer Bryson DeChambeau
former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow
retired coach Tony Dungy
retired coach Mack Brown
Perspectives
Addressing NIL and financial issues is crucial for saving college sports
The introduction of NIL payments has created an “unaffordable disaster” and led to spiraling costs for colleges, potentially threatening the existence of some programs and even institutions.
There is a need for federal legislation, such as the SCORE Act, to regulate NIL, address collective bargaining, and provide antitrust protections to stabilize college sports.
The current system, in which financial power dictates success through player payments, runs counter to the traditional spirit of college athletics.
Economic pressures are threatening the sustainability of college sports, with Olympic and women’s sports budgets being the first to face cuts or elimination.
Skepticism about the roundtable’s effectiveness and lack of athlete representation
Current student-athletes were not invited to participate in the roundtable, raising questions about how decisions regarding the future of college athletics can be made without their direct input.
Some observers do not expect any resolutions to emerge from the meeting, despite the urgent need for legislation.
