Randy Peterson
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May 04, 2025
Now, I’ve read it all. The President of the United States stepping in to help level a college football field that someday could become as top heavy as we’ve ever seen?
I get the premise that had former coaches Nick Saban and Tommy Tuberville asking for Donald Trump’s input on regulating a very unregulated world of Name, Image and Likeness, but asking the President for help?
Didn’t POTUS just put up on his social media account an AI-generated picture of himself in Pope clothing a headgear – even before Pope Francis’ official mourning period had ended?
And Saban, according to the story on CBS Sports’ web site, wants Trump to consider an executive order that could end up regulating out-of-control NIL payments to college football and basketball players?
Yahoo.com wrote that Trump “reportedly said he agreed with Saban, and would look at drafting an executive order, directing aides to begin studying what such an order would say.”
Raise your hand if you’ve got executive order fatigue? The Federal Register web site (first and last time I ever put those words together) lists 143 orders that he’s already signed since taking office on Jan. 20.
I get the premise. I don’t think anyone will argue that the NCAA needs help running, ahem, the NCAA, but the President signing an NIL executive order? Somehow, I have trouble balancing the EO’s he’s already signed that deal with such things as tariffs, crime, drug prices, and the entertainment business – with college athletics.
Wait, the entertainment business? Aren’t college football and basketball also entertainment?
Accding to the Feds’ web site, the March 31 order states, in part:
“America's live concert and entertainment industry is the envy of the world. But it has become blighted by unscrupulous middlemen who sit at the intersection between artists and fans and impose egregious fees while providing minimal value.”
Envy of the world?
Check.
Unscrupulous middlemen?
I suppose that could refer to agents.
Egregious fees?
That’s aimed at shady concert ticket scalpers. Change a few words, though, and it could fit our present-day NIL free-for-all.
But asking the President of the United States’ input, is like asking . . .
Oh nevermind.
These words aren’t meant to be political – and to be honest, I know a heck of a lot more about fastbreaks and Matt Campbell’s football offense, than I do politics. The NCAA has continued to look the other way on NIL, and other matters that seriously affect college sports. For Saban and Tuberville to mention presidential intervention?
Maybe that’ll be a wake-up call for college sports’ national leaders (aka the NCAA) to do something. If they don’t, someone else might.
Executive Order No. 144 could be just a 100-yard sprint to the house, or a slam dunk away.
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BUY OR SELL: Big-time basketball recruits coming to Hilton Coliseum
An Iowa State fan who lives in NW Iowa asked me what I thought about Iowa State basketball recruiting – and how far the new transfer players would take both the men’s and women’s programs in their respective NCAA Tournaments.
This grocery-store conversation Sunday came after the fan read about Bill Fennelly’s women’s program getting a commitment from Wofford’s Evangelia Paulk, the Southern Conference’s Player of the Year. A couple weeks ago, former McDonald’s All-American Jada Williams announced that she’s transferring to the Cyclones from Arizona.
The dude then ask about T.J. Otzelberger’s men’s recruits, specifically transfers Mason Williams from Eastern Washington and Blake Buchanan from Virginia.
Buy or sell deep NCAA Tournament runs?
I’m BUYING that both programs will again be invited to NCAA Tournaments. I’m HOLDING, however, the deep-run part of our conversation. Too many variables to answer something like that in early May.
That’s like predicting POTUS will immediately regulate NIL.
(Award-winning columnist Randy Peterson can be, and has been, reached at randypete4846@gmail.com or at any Okoboji-area beverage/food establishment between the hours of open and close.)