Sen. Ted Cruz was booed and chanted at during a roughly nine-minute appearance on ESPN's College GameDay while promoting the Protecting College Sports Act. Cruz warned that tens of millions in losses could force schools to cut programs and said 40 to 50 schools risk collapsing as competitive programs in three to five years if action isn't taken. He shared the clip on X, saying he "never flinched," while critics including Sen. Chris Murphy argue the bill would strip athletes of protections and consolidate power for the NCAA and schools.
Ted Cruz Booed on ESPN's College GameDay as Crowd Chants 'Ted, You Suck!' — He Says He 'Never Flinched'
Ted Cruz on 'College GameDay' (ESPN)
Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was met with sustained boos and chants of "Ted, you suck" during an atypical, roughly nine-minute appearance on ESPN's College GameDay on Saturday morning. Cruz appeared on the program in Austin to promote the Protecting College Sports Act, arguing the legislation is needed to prevent widespread cuts to college athletic programs.
What Cruz Said
Speaking to host Rece Davis ahead of the University of Texas vs. Ohio State game, Cruz warned that "most college athletic programs are losing tens of millions of dollars, and as a result, they're canceling women's programs and non–revenue sports and Olympic sports." He added that "if we don't act, in three to five years we're going to see 40 to 50 schools that have competitive football programs and everyone else goes under. That would be a tragedy."
Crowd Reaction And Cruz's Response
Large sections of the live crowd repeatedly booed and chanted, frequently drowning out portions of the interview. After the broadcast, Cruz shared a clip on X (formerly Twitter), writing: "Whole crowd came on a blitz this morning, I stayed in the pocket. Never flinched." He also joked, "If we don't pass the Protecting College Sports Act I could play for your favorite team. Call your Senator!"
What The Bill Would Do
The proposed legislation would grant the National Collegiate Athletic Association an antitrust exemption, allowing the NCAA to enforce eligibility rules and name, image and likeness (NIL) policies without facing federal antitrust challenges. It would also permit conferences to pool broadcast rights during media negotiations — changes supporters say would stabilize college athletics' finances.
Criticism And Coverage
Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and other critics say the bill "denies college athletes the rights and protections they are owed as workers and cuts off any path these athletes have to advocate for themselves — all so the NCAA, college athletic conferences and schools can consolidate money and power over athletes' lives." Murphy plans to host a press conference to oppose the measure.
To date, ESPN has not featured a critic of the Protecting College Sports Act on College GameDay. Separately, ABC — another Disney-owned network — declined to air a planned interview between late-night host Jimmy Kimmel and Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico; Kimmel said the interview would instead premiere on YouTube due to what he described as "regulatory threats" from the Federal Communications Commission.
Context: The bill has attracted bipartisan attention and is expected to come up for a Senate vote in the coming weeks, making this on-air push and the public reaction politically notable ahead of that debate.
Source: TheWrap (original report)
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