Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, appeared on ESPN’s “College GameDay” to discuss the bipartisan Save College Sports Act, which he co-authored, in a segment with host Rece Davis. The appearance set off a wave of criticism from former ESPN host Jemele Hill and other liberal commentators on social media.
Hill posted on X: “Did not know ESPN had become a political lobbying firm.”
The claim doesn’t hold up against Hill’s own history at the network. She co-hosted a show called SC6 with Michael Smith that regularly waded into political territory, including promotion of Black Lives Matter. On July 12, 2016, Hill and Smith discussed four police officers leaving a WNBA game after Minnesota Lynx players wore Black Lives Matter shirts, with Hill arguing that holding police officers accountable for “unjust actions” was not the same as disrespecting them.
ESPN itself had Hill moderate an August 2016 “Athletes, Responsibility and Violence” town hall focused on athletes, guns, violence and law enforcement.
In 2017, Hill said the “policing & judicial system are institutionally racist” and echoed Colin Kaepernick’s comparison of police to slave patrols that once enforced discipline on pre-Civil War plantations. She also called President Donald Trump a “white supremacist” on Twitter, a remark that prompted ESPN to issue a public statement distancing itself from her comments.
ESPN’s political activity has not been limited to one host. In 2022, former ESPN personality Elle Duncan protested Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, known to critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, live on air. The law restricts classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity for kindergarten through third grade. Duncan said on air: “We understand the gravity of this legislation and also how it’s affecting so many families across this country, and because of that, our allyship is going to take a front seat, and with that, we’re going to pause in solidarity.”
In 2023, ESPN celebrated Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer who competed against and defeated female athletes, during Women’s History Month programming.
Also unmentioned by Hill: “College GameDay” hosted Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro in 2025 during a visit to the University of Pittsburgh. There was no comparable outcry from Hill over that appearance.
Cruz’s segment focused on the Save College Sports Act’s proposed regulations addressing NIL deals and the transfer portal, issues at the center of ongoing turmoil in college athletics. Unlike the network’s past forays into hot-button social and political fights, the appearance centered on legislation directly tied to the sport itself.
