Apparently, Montana's congressional delegates have so little to do they're turning to football to fill their time.
First, Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester, upset that many Montanans wouldn't get to watch the Houston Texans trounce the Denver Broncos last week, fired off a letter to National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell in New York.
Previously, these games were available through basic cable or over-the-air stations, so the NFL's decision has angered many football fans. Some of them have started letter-writing campaigns. But Baucus and Tester didn't just write in as unhappy fans - they used the power of their elected positions to give more weight to their request.
“We would hope that you will take whatever steps are necessary to work with cable, satellite and over-the-air television stations ensure that Montanans are able to watch their favorite football teams, no matter how they choose to receive their video programming,” they wrote.
Maybe it didn't occur to them that, if football fans are upset, they should just do what other unhappy consumers do - refuse to give the offending business their money. After all, most businesses that find themselves losing money will do whatever it takes to win back former customers.
There's just no good reason to get our elected officials involved in football programming. They have more important issues - legislative issues - with which to occupy themselves.
Except, perhaps, for Montana Rep. Denny Rehberg, who earlier this week introduced a House resolution congratulating Carroll College's football team on its recent national championship.
No, he really did.
It seems Rehberg was excited about the fact that the Fighting Saints won the 2007 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics National Championship. But unlike Baucus and Tester, he wasn't able to confine his passion for football to an official-sounding letter. He had to draft an official resolution.
“The Carroll College football team defines the word champion,” Rehberg said in a news release announcing the resolution. “Not only have they won the title five out of the last six years but they've done it in a way that all Montanans can be proud of, with class and dignity. I would like to congratulate Coach Mike Van Diest, his team, the school and the fans on another remarkable season.”
Now, we here in Montana love our football. In fact, we love it so much we'd probably prefer if it didn't get mixed up in the messy business of politics.
However, as legislative efforts go, championing the interests of sports fans looks like an easy win. No one is likely to put up a stringent opposition to such efforts, and the home team is sure to feel good about the extra cheerleading. Politicians who try to score points with football fans probably feel they're showing how they haven't lost touch with the regular folks back home.
But it's a ridiculous waste of time, and we suspect that fact will not go unnoticed by the voters who elected our delegates and sent them to Congress using taxpayer money. This attempt to pander to football fans in Montana is likely to backfire.
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