Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., fired off an exasperated response to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on the Senate floor Monday night after the Texas Republican opposed an amendment Kennedy had introduced.
The heated exchange came as the Senate debated the Protect College Sports Act, a bill backed by the NCAA. The legislation would grant the NCAA an antitrust exemption, allowing the association to restore a five-year eligibility rule and impose limits on athletes transferring between schools.
The bill has drawn opposition from a host of labor unions and athlete advocacy groups. Critics, including Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., have pointed out that the bill caps the share of revenues students receive while placing no such limit on coaches' salaries or donations to athletic programs.
President Donald Trump has urged Congress to pass the bill.
Before Monday night's vote, Kennedy introduced an amendment that would cap yearly ticket price increases at NCAA games at 4%.
Cruz took to the Senate floor to speak out against the amendment, arguing it would prevent up-and-coming sports programs from raising more revenue than they otherwise could.
The Texas senator offered a hypothetical example of a small school that has an unbelievable football season and is considered college football playoff material. The following season, he said, that team might face well-known programs like Notre Dame or Alabama, which draw significant crowds and boost fan interest and demand.
"This amendment would prevent that small school, whose fans believe they are playoff material, from being able to respond to that fan interest and build revenues that could be put back in the university and back into the student-athletes," Cruz said.
He added that the revenue shared with student-athletes comes from ticket sales.
"So, capping the prices on ticket sales would reduce the revenue that is available to student-athletes. I encourage members to vote no," Cruz said.
That's when Kennedy, who had not been recognized by the chair, loudly and indignantly spoke up.
"All this bill does is fix prices," Kennedy replied. "It fixes prices on everybody. Why don't we do something for the fans, for God's sakes? Don't tell me this isn't a price-fixing bill."
As Kennedy spoke, the chair attempted to restore order.
"Am I out of order, Mr. President?" Kennedy asked.
"Yes, substantially," the chair replied.
In the end, Kennedy's amendment failed by a vote of 42-54.
The broader bill, which Kennedy supported despite the dustup, passed the Senate 77-22.
The legislation now heads to the House, where it faces an uncertain future.
