Ted Cruz probably didn’t get quite the reception he was hoping for when he showed up on ESPN’s College GameDay in Austin on Saturday.
The Texas Republican was there to promote the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act, but as Cruz tried to explain his legislation to host Rece Davis, the crowd made its own feelings unmistakably clear.
“Ted, you suck!”
The chant repeatedly rang out from the live audience, at times competing with—and in some stretches drowning out—Cruz’s answers. Boos could also be heard throughout his nearly 10-minute appearance.
Cruz was in Austin ahead of the highly anticipated matchup between the Texas Longhorns and Ohio State. Wearing a burnt-orange blazer, he used his appearance to make the case for legislation he says is needed to bring some order to the increasingly complicated business of college athletics.
“The current situation is nuts,” Cruz said as the crowd booed in the background. “The reason Congress is acting is because Congress created this problem.”
His bill would establish federal standards governing issues including name, image and likeness compensation, revenue sharing, transfers and other aspects of college athletics. Cruz argues that the current system is financially unsustainable and could eventually put many athletic programs at risk.
“The bill is very simple,” Cruz said. “It brings order to chaos; it protects the students and their ability to be compensated … but it also puts reasonable rules in place.”
The crowd didn’t seem particularly interested in hearing the sales pitch.
As Cruz continued, the “Ted, you suck” chants broke out again.
Cruz warned that many college athletic programs are losing tens of millions of dollars and argued that, without congressional action, schools could begin eliminating women’s programs and other non-revenue sports.
“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,” Cruz said. “That would be a tragedy.”
Critics of the legislation have argued that it would give the NCAA and schools too much power while potentially restricting athletes’ ability to earn money through NIL deals. The bill has also faced opposition from some labor and civil-rights groups.
Cruz has said he is confident the bill can reach the 60 votes needed to advance in the Senate.
But on Saturday morning, the biggest obstacle to Cruz’s message wasn’t Congress. It was thousands of college football fans loudly telling him exactly what they thought of him.
Watch the clip below:
Ted Cruz interrupted during ESPN appearance by fired-up crowd chanting, "TED, YOU SUCK!" pic.twitter.com/0RI4n2lbGq
— FactPost (@factpostnews) September 12, 2026
