President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday aimed at protecting the traditional television window for the annual Army vs. Navy Game, but the move is already raising larger questions about government influence over private media.
The order directs the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Commerce to work with the NCAA, the College Football Playoff and broadcast partners to prevent other college football games from competing with Army-Navy on its longtime slot, the second Saturday in December.
Trump argued that overlapping broadcasts “weaken the national focus” on the service academies. He also instructed the FCC to examine whether the game could qualify as a “national service event” under public interest standards.
The Army vs. Navy Game has been played every year since 1930 and remains one of college football’s most recognizable standalone traditions. CBS Sports holds broadcast rights to the game through 2038. Trump’s order comes after concerns he raised in January that playoff expansion and a larger December postseason schedule could begin crowding the matchup’s historic window.
The signing took place the same day Navy’s football team visited the White House after winning the 2025 Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy. Trump has attended recent Army-Navy games and has repeatedly framed the event as uniquely important.
Still, critics say the order goes beyond preserving tradition and edges into a more troubling area: state influence over media presentation.
State-run media generally refers to outlets owned, funded and editorially controlled by a government to distribute information in ways that shape public opinion and advance state priorities. Unlike public media, which may receive state funding while maintaining editorial independence, state-run media is defined by direct government control over content, staffing and messaging. Critics often point to outlets such as CCTV in China and RT in Russia as examples of systems designed to serve state interests over independent journalism.
That is why some observers see legal and ethical concerns here. While the Army-Navy Game is carried by a private broadcaster, the federal government is attempting to influence scheduling through oversight pressure and public interest arguments. Legal experts have questioned whether that is enforceable under the First Amendment, and Trump himself acknowledged the order will “probably get sued at some point.”
Supporters view the effort as a defense of a cherished American tradition. Critics see a government trying to shape media priorities around its own preferred narrative.