Ted Cruz is not a fan of what the National Football League has been doing.
The Texas Republican had some strong words for the NFL at Tuesday’s start of the Senate Commerce Committee’s “Field of Streams” hearing.
The hearing examined the policy questions raised by the changing ways Americans watch live professional sports on television.
Representatives from Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the National Hockey League (NHL) had previously agreed to testify about their leagues’ approaches to the ever-changing sports broadcasting and programming landscape.
The Republican from Texas believes that the National Football League could be hurting college football and high school football.
As we all know, as fans, the league has games on Monday, Sunday, and Thursday nights and will now have games on Saturday nights late in the year as well. Not to mention, the league plays on Thanksgiving and is now playing on Christmas Day.
Cruz believes the NFL is coming close to diluting other aspects of football.
Because of that, he sent a stern warning to the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell.
“One growing concern is that the NFL has used its special exemption in the SBA (Sports Broadcasting Act) to the frustration of college and high school football schedulers,” Cruz said via a transcript provided by the Committee.
“For example, the SBA explicitly excludes antitrust protection for the NFL if broadcasting a game on a Friday night or a Saturday between mid-September to mid-December. That’s to protect the interests of high school and college football, and ultimately, their fans who are no doubt also followers of the NFL.
“The NFL has tiptoed up to this rule, now putting a game on streaming on Black Friday afternoon, which used to be a slot reserved for prominent college football rivalries, including in some years, Texas and Texas A&M.
There are millions of sports fans who like being able to follow high school, college, and professional football without having to choose amongst them. And it’s partly why Congress wrote the SBA in the manner it did.”
In a US Senate Commerce hearing today, Sen. Ted Cruz said the NFL has “tiptoed” around the rule that prevents them from playing on Friday/Saturday, bringing to light a frustration for many in college football that see the NFL as infringing on the traditional college schedule. pic.twitter.com/rY8RR3ChtR
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) May 6, 2025
The National Football League Has Games Everywhere
During the 2025 season, the National Football League (NFL) will host regular-season games in seven countries.
That will be the USA, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Brazil, and possibly Australia.
The NFL is expanding its international footprint and seemingly trying its best to have games on every day of the week.
Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays already belong to them, with Fridays and Saturdays seemingly coming fairly soon.
Also Read: Why Does The NFL Keep Sending Its Least Exciting Games To Europe?