The Newsmagazine of the North Carolina Center for Voter Education | Thursday March 11, 2010

Campaign Cash and Pigskin Politics

By Damon Circosta
Published: Dec. 21, 2009

RALEIGH - When it comes to the high-stakes game of money in politics, not even college football is immune.

There are reports coming out of Phoenix, AZ that employees for the Fiesta Bowl were being reimbursed for campaign contributions they made at the request of their employer. If true, both the Fiesta Bowl Corporation and the employees could face criminal charges.

Funneling contributions through employees violates campaign finance laws because it permits the corporation to give more money than your average citizen. In a democratic system such as ours, this violates the notion that we are all equal participants in our government.

Like any other business, the Fiesta Bowl is under tremendous pressure to remain competitive. Other bowl games would love to take their spot in the Bowl Championship Series rotation and reap the financial rewards of hosting a national championship. Friendly legislators in both Washington, D.C. and the state capital of Phoenix could help keep the Fiesta Bowl in their prime position.

In the world of modern political fundraising, it is no secret that wealthy donors and the businesses they work for can get a friendlier reception in the halls of government if they are willing to contribute to a campaign. It’s no surprise that a big business like the Fiesta Bowl is trying to gain an edge by contributing to campaigns. Until we reform our campaign finance system to de-emphasize the roll of wealthy donors, we can expect corporations to attempt to sway government using the promise of campaign cash as their wedge.

Our current regulatory framework is pretty relaxed. Under the present scheme there is more than ample opportunities to sway our political leaders without circumventing the law. If the allegations about the Fiesta Bowl are true, it is extremely disheartening.

On the football field the teams agree to a set of rules and the NCAA hires professional regulators (referees) to enforce them. Millions of us tune in because we enjoy watching the opposing sides compete on even terms for victory. On the field, the NCAA takes any allegations of cheating very seriously.  From something as routine as a 10-yard penalty for holding, all the way up to suspension for steroid use, there are consequences for violating the rules.

If there weren’t clear rules and officials who enforced them, we would quit watching. Football would be no different than professional wrestling: scripted, phony, fake.

Hopefully the allegations about the Fiesta Bowl aren’t true. If they are, hopefully state and federal authorities, as well as the NCAA, will throw the yellow flag at the Fiesta Bowl and call this sort of behavior what it is: cheating.