Trump signs order aimed at curbing big-money college sports payouts

WASHINGTON :President Donald Trump waded into a debate over the influence of big-money payouts in college sports on Thursday, signing an executive order adding federal government scrutiny to the practice.

The order, which is expected to face legal challenges, seeks to block some recruiting payments by third parties like donors to college athletes in big-dollar sports like football and men's basketball in order to preserve funds available for women's and non-revenue sports.

Though the practice is already forbidden by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, some donors have found ways to bypass the rules to recruit top talent with lucrative offers.

The policy is not aimed at fair-market compensation to athletes for brand endorsements, the White House said.

The order also pushes colleges to raise scholarship payments for non-revenue sports and directs U.S. officials to start "clarifying" the legal status of student-athletes.

Trump's directive could lead to changes in school budgets as well as the multimillion-dollar market for U.S. college athletes, and it could lead to limitations on payouts or employment rights for those athletes.

Yet how exactly the policy will be enforced is still to be determined.

Under the order, federal officials will develop a plan to deliver on Trump's order using "all available and appropriate regulatory, enforcement, and litigation mechanisms," including their funding power over states, colleges and universities.

Since taking office in January, Trump has repeatedly tried to intervene in actions by sports leagues, colleges and universities.

A February executive order aimed to bar transgender women from competing in women's sports. The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee implemented such a