Discussion · Senate
John Kennedy Republican
“I want the Senate to pass my amendment to this bill. The bill helps colleges, coaches, and players, but it does nothing for the fans who pay for it all. Ticket prices are rising too fast, sometimes by up to 35 percent a year. My amendment stops colleges and leagues from raising ticket prices by more than 4 percent a year.”
“Mr. President, there was a time early on in this process that I truly believed this bill was dead as disco, but I think it is going to pass, and that is a tribute to a lot of people’s hard work. Now, we have made a lot of people happy with this bill. We have certainly made the colleges happy. We have made the universities happy. We have made their athletic programs happy. We have made their donors happy. We have certainly made the coaches happy. And we have made the players happy, to the extent that this will provide stability. I guess we have made everybody happy--not exactly. Who makes this possible? Who makes college athletics possible? Who generates all this cashflow? The fans. The fans. And we have done nothing for them. Zero. Zilch. Nada. And their ticket prices keep going up. And every single one of us in this body has been out there all across America talking about affordability. Yet in some cases, the prices have gone up--go up 30 and 35 percent a year. My amendment--before you cut me off, Mr. President, I have talked slowly, and I ought to get extra time. My amendment would prohibit any institution, conference, or intercollegiate athletic association from raising ticket prices by more than 4 percent annually. Let us do something for the fans. Let us do something for affordability for a change. Let us put our money where our mouth is. Thank you for your indulgence, Mr. President.”
Mr. President, there was a time early on in this process that I truly believed this bill was dead as disco, but I think it is going to pass, and that is a tribute to a lot of people’s hard work. Now, we have made a lot of people happy with this bill. We have certainly made the colleges happy. We have made the universities happy. We have made their athletic programs happy. We have made their donors happy. We have certainly made the coaches happy. And we have made the players happy, to the extent that this will provide stability. I guess we have made everybody happy--not exactly. Who makes this possible? Who makes college athletics possible? Who generates all this cashflow? The fans. The fans. And we have done nothing for them. Zero. Zilch. Nada. And their ticket prices keep going up. And every single one of us in this body has been out there all across America talking about affordability. Yet in some cases, the prices have gone up--go up 30 and 35 percent a year. My amendment--before you cut me off, Mr. President, I have talked slowly, and I ought to get extra time. My amendment would prohibit any institution, conference, or intercollegiate athletic association from raising ticket prices by more than 4 percent annually. Let us do something for the fans. Let us do something for affordability for a change. Let us put our money where our mouth is. Thank you for your indulgence, Mr. President.