Senator Ted Cruz was relentlessly booed by fans at the University of Texas during an appearance on College GameDay on Saturday morning.
Cruz was on the program to promote the Protect College Sports Act – a bipartisan piece of legislation designed to set guardrails for transfers, eligibility and NIL in the rapidly changing college sports landscape.
But the three-term Senator from Texas didn’t get a warm reception from the students and fans of the fourth-ranked Longhorns just hours before they took on No. 1 Ohio State.
From the moment Cruz appeared on the screen, the crowd in Austin did not stop showering the politician with boos and jeers as he tried explaining the importance of the bill.
At one point, the booing ceased so that fans could start chanting ‘Ted, you suck!’ over and over again.
Cruz seemed only briefly affected by the reception as he plowed along explaining why the bill should be passed.
Senator Ted Cruz was relentlessly booed by Texas fans as he appeared on College GameDay
Cruz and Senator Maria Cantwell are co-sponsoring a bill aimed at regulating college sports
Critics of the bill, including Senator Chris Murphy, believe it puts athletes at a disadvantage
‘As you know well, college sports is an amazing institution… and right now college sports is in chaos,’ Cruz said through the booing.
The bill, which was drafted by Cruz – a Republican – and Senator Maria Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington, aims to restore some semblance of order and rule to a time where college sports is the wild, wild west.
In the bill, players will only be allowed to have one free transfer in the portal and will be capped at five years of eligibility that expires when they turn 24.
The bill also seeks to prevent players who have signed professional contracts from returning to college at a time where schools like LSU have attempted to bring NFL players into their systems.
ESPN has thrown their full support behind the bill and have consistently platformed people who advocate for it. College GameDay panelists Nick Saban and Pat McAfee have both made political messages in favor of the bill – with Saban, one of the greatest coaches in college football history, starring in political ads encouraging the legislation’s passing.
On Saturday, reports emerged that a vote on the bill is forthcoming. A press conference hosted by Cruz and featuring ‘more than 30 coaches and student athletes’ – including Arkansas college basketball coach John Calipari – is set for Monday.
Monday will also have a press call hosted by Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, as well as union leaders and college athletes that oppose the bill – which has been criticized by some as being anti-athlete.
In the legislation, there is language that would prevent college athletes from seeking to form a union. Other critics say the bill has the potential to cap how much players can earn.
