This is a class blog for the students of POLSCI 426: Congressional Politics at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.

Members of Congress Taking a Position (at the Line of Scrimmage)

Richard Durbin (D-IL) is getting together a Senate Judiciary Committee inquiry into the recent NFL mini-scandal over the cash incentives players on the New Orleans Saints were given to hurt opposing players.

The NFL surely seems to be on top of punishing the misbehavior, but members of Congress regularly use the spotlight afforded to sports in order to engage in Mayhew-style credit claiming and position taking over issues that are relatively uncontroversial. There are probably few voters who are for injury causing styles of play in football making this an easy issue to take a tough stand on while getting some face time on SportsCenter. Who can forget the uncomfortable answers that Mark McGwire gave in 2005 to the House Government Reform Committee during his testimony at the hearings into steroids and baseball?

Perhaps this time around we'll get to see Brett Favre testify about what it feels like to know he had a bounty on his head?

1 comment:

Jacob Goehl said...

I love the NFL and I love politics, this will be a must watch! But I'm unsure of what Congress can add to this situation that the NFL has not already done. Rodger Goodell came down pretty hard banning Williams for an indefinite period and the punishments for others involved seem adequate. Maybe new rules about intentions during games? It would all be very hard to prove though.

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