ESPN has been front and center in the political world thanks to the last two episodes of College GameDay that featured advocacy for the Protect College Sports Act.
In GameDay‘s opening week, spokesperson Nick Saban and Pat McAfee called on Congress to pass the bipartisan legislation. While the bill is backed by individuals on both sides of the political aisle, as well as coaches, administrators, and networks, it also faces opposition from those who say it restricts the benefits afforded to players in recent years after years of restrictions.
That political involvement ratcheted up several notches this past Saturday when Rece Davis interviewed Ted Cruz on GameDay, a co-sponsor of the bill. The interview drew widespread skepticism and criticism given Cruz’s partisan history and how much ESPN showcased a specific political argument like never before.
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
ESPN reportedly defended the interview, saying that Cruz asked to come on the program to discuss and that the network would be willing to interview a dissenting voice if someone stepped forward.
The NAACP did just that, suggesting President Derrick Johnson would be made available on College GameDay this week.
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
And now that interview is coming to life, according to Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger. But not on College GameDay. Johnson will be interviewed on Tuesday’s 6 p.m. ET edition of SportsCenter. While ESPN considered a GameDay invitation, it wanted to have him on the air before the bill could be put up for a vote this week in the United States Senate.
The network discussed having Johnson on GameDay from Oxford this Saturday, but the focus shifted to Tuesday in order to have the conversation before the bill is up for a vote in the Senate.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) September 15, 2026
While it’s a gesture that is aimed at quieting criticism, it’s hard to call this equal time in any way. College GameDay draws almost 3 million viewers while the 6 p.m. ET SportsCenter averages 400,000 viewers. And if the Senate vote does happen on Tuesday or Wednesday, it comes too late to sway public opinion after two weeks of unconditional support on ESPN airwaves.
It also showcases why ESPN going so deep into these political waters is an issue in the first place. Since they have been so fierce in showcasing advocates for the bill’s passage, the network now feels obligated to give the other side airtime. Yes, ESPN doesn’t have to interview the NAACP president about their opposition to the bill when Disney is currently lobbying against it. That is to be commended. But it just devotes more network airtime to complicated political minutiae. And now the question is whether this will be the exception when it comes to ESPN’s political coverage, or whether it will become the norm.
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