Senator Ted Cruz fears Olympics where 'every gold medal goes to Russia and China' unless government protects college sports

College athletics is once again a topic in the United States Senate. On Tuesday, they are discussing the “Protect College Sports Act,” which was proposed by Ted Cruz from Texas and Washington’s Maria Cantwell. Of course, college football is the main point of discussion. However, Cruz is looking to help more than just what takes place on the gridiron.

He appears to be worried about the Olympic sports and what the landscape’s current path could do for future games. Cruz wants future gold medals to go to the United States, thanks to college sports, not landing in other countries.

“I don’t want to see an Olympic (Games) where every gold medal goes to Russia and China,” Cruz said via Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger. 

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Concerns about athletic departments cutting sports have been real over the past few years. Some have even pulled the plug on some. For a moment there, Arkansas announced the discontinuation of its men’s and women’s tennis programs. But a few days later, athletic director Hunter Yuracheck reinstated them.

So, this is a real issue across the country. Cruz is not the only one advocating for Olympic sports, either.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has spoken on the topic within the past week. This came from SEC Spring Meetings in Destin, where Smart said football cannot be the reason other sports are taken away.

“My biggest concern for our sport is that we’re going to ruin all the other sports,” Smart said via On3 | Rivals’ DawgsHQ. “And people say, well, that’s just the way it is. I don’t agree with that because we fund Olympic sports at our program. We develop Olympians. We go to class with people who throw a javelin. Sit in class with an extra person who swims and dives. You learn culture by being with those people.”

For the most part, football is always going to be priority No. 1. Not just from a financial standpoint, where football programs are the reason athletic departments are able to operate in the green. From a fan perspective too, though, as most people are attached to their school through the football team.

Cruz becomes just the latest to voice his support for Olympic sports in the long run. Not just for the sake of college athletics but future performances of the United States when competing on the world stage.