ESPN challenged by NAACP after controversial Ted Cruz ‘College GameDay’ appearance

ESPN’s College GameDay has offered full-throated support for the Protect College Sports Act to start the 2026-27 college football season.

Last week, Pat McAfee and Nick Saban waxed poetic about why Congress must pass the bipartisan bill aiming to shift power back to the NCAA in the age of NIL and player empowerment. On Saturday, College GameDay went a step further, welcoming Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to stump for the legislation he co-authored.

ESPN had Ted Cruz on ‘College GameDay’ in a conversation with Rece Davis for nearly 10 minutes.

Cruz was heavily booed by the crowd — and heard “Ted, you suck!” chants — in Austin. pic.twitter.com/npQesiYMsG

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 12, 2026

Cruz spoke with Rece Davis for close to 10 minutes, as palpable boos rained down relentlessly. The booing extended across the country, with ESPN receiving heavy backlash for its cartoonishly slanted approach. (It also didn’t do much to squash prior speculation that President Donald Trump could eventually sign it on College GameDay.)

talking about it and shilling for it — without disclosing that the company is literally lobbying for it — are vastly different things. https://t.co/CnOQxU3R1j

— bomani (@bomani_jones) September 12, 2026

Now’s a good time to remind people Disney/ESPN, who want you to think @CollegeGameDay is just a fun show about football, has spent millions lobbying for the passage of the PCSA https://t.co/v6M0rD6xwE https://t.co/nOJZ4pfu6k

— Steven Godfrey (@38Godfrey) September 12, 2026

Did not know ESPN had become a political lobbying firm.

— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 12, 2026

“After publication, an ESPN source told The Athletic that Cruz, who was in Austin for the game, expressed interest in coming on the show to discuss the legislation,” Justin Williams and Stewart Mandel reported Saturday evening. “That source called it an ‘easy decision’ given the timeliness and relevance to college football, and added that GameDay had not received any requests from a senator or other figure (like a coach or athletic director) opposed to the legislation — but would ‘obviously do the same’ if it received such a request.”

Well, the NAACP has a request that will put ESPN’s purported stance to the test.

“Surprised @espn so willing[ly] lent their platform to political performance today,” the NAACP’s official account posted on X, quote-tweeting a clip of Cruz’s GameDay appearance. “But we’ll play. We’d love to have @DerrickNAACP join you in his home state of Miss. next week to express why the Protect College Sports Act is dangerous to Black Athletes and the Black community [shrugging emoji].”

Surprised @espn so willing lent their platform to political performance today. But we’ll play. We’d love to have @DerrickNAACP join you in his home state of Miss. next week to express why the Protect College Sports Act is dangerous to Black Athletes and the Black community. 🤷🏾‍♂️ https://t.co/jzZa6rwyq3

— NAACP (@NAACP) September 12, 2026

Derrick Johnson has served as the CEO and 19th president of the NAACP since 2017. This May, the NAACP launched its “Out Of Bounds” campaign, calling for Black athletes, families, alumni, and fans to boycott athletic and financial support from public universities attacking Black voting rights.

“Across the South, Black athletes have helped build some of the most profitable college athletic programs in America,” Johnson said at the time, per ESPN. He additionally noted, “Black athletes should not be asked to generate wealth, prestige, and power for state institutions while those same states strip political power from Black communities.”

Should ESPN accept the NAACP’s request and welcome Johnson, he would be the first dissenting voice platformed on GameDay. The iconic show will visit Oxford, Mississippi, ahead of No. 8 LSU taking on No. 9 Ole Miss next Saturday, Sept. 19.