Senate defeats proposal to limit ticket price increases for college sports

The Senate voted Monday evening to defeat an amendment sponsored by Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) to cap ticket price increases for college sporting events to four percent a year, even as ticket prices for some marquee games have soared in recent years.

Kennedy proposed his amendment to the Protect College Sports Act, a sweeping bill that would overhaul compensation, recruitment and eligibility rules for college athletes.

Kennedy argued that the bill would be a windfall for college athletic programs and coaches but would likely leave fans paying ever-rising prices for big-time college football and basketball games.

“Who makes college athletics possible? Who generates all of this cash flow? The fans. And we’ve done nothing for them. Zero,” Kennedy declared on the Senate floor before the vote.

“The ticket prices keep going up and every single person in this body has been all across America talking about affordability, and sometimes the prices go up 30 percent to 40 percent,” he said.

Kennedy proposed capping the increase in ticket prices for college sporting events to four percent a year.

The amendment failed by a vote of 42 to 54. It needed 60 votes to be adopted.

Axios reported earlier this year that average college football ticket prices have increased from $59 in 2015 to $129 in 2025.

Sports Illustrated reported that the cost of game-day football experiences at the University of Texas have soared by more than 45 percent compared to last year while game-day prices increased at University of Tennessee increased by more than 60 percent compared to last year.

The average ticket price for a Big Ten college football game was $73 in 2024 and the average price for Northwestern University games was $225, according to the Daily Iowan.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) spoke in opposition to Kennedy’s proposal.

“I oppose it. It would set a price control on sports tickets. It does not distinguish between large and small institutions, applies the same mandate to every university and to every single sport, from the small local community college to the [historically black college or university,]” he said.

Cruz argued that if Kennedy’s amendment were adopted it would “harm schools from being able to respond when market factors change.”