Speak Up

by Kevin Kovach
Columnist

This weekend witnessed two of the biggest football games of the year, with Ohio State claiming its first national title in 34 years and the Browns and Steelers renewing their storied rivalry in the NFL playoffs. But as much as I love sports and want to devote this column to how much I love OSU, the Browns and $15 Cavs tickets, I love politics just as much. If you think I'm nuts for saying that, you're right. However, sports and politics go together like peas and carrots...okay, maybe not.

That's why it annoys me when elected officials butt their noses into big games such as those that took place over weekend.

Gov. Bob Taft, who received the votes of about 30 percent of registered Ohio voters in winning re-election, made a wager on the OSU-Miami game with Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Yes, that Jeb Bush, one of the players in the Bush-Gore saga (you'd think these two would want to avoid stirring the pot). The bet was that, should Miami win the game, Gov. Taft would sport a Hurricanes jersey at a meeting of the National Governor's Association next month, while a Buckeye victory would mean Gov. Bush disgracing the scarlet-and-gray.

This ridiculous bet should've been over at that. However, Gov. Taft's office sent out press releases on the subject to media across the state and country, and posted it on the governor's Web site.

What's the big deal? Well, this release of information through the proper channels costs money. For a state facing a $4 billion dollar budget deficit this fiscal year, we sure have a governor who spends our money wisely, don't we? This is the same man who refused to admit that he was going to raise taxes during the entire campaign season, only to admit last month he will do so. It is also the man who "slashed" taxes by an average of 80-some cents per taxpayer per day in his first term.

Good idea? Seeing how that microscopic cut completely gutted funding for education in Ohio, particularly higher education, in turn leading to ridiculous escalations in the price of our tuition, I think it was careless and led to today's problems.

If you're wondering why I have only criticized Republicans, here's another one for you. Democratic mayors Jane Campbell of Cleveland and Tom Murphy of Pittsburgh made a similar wager regarding yesterday's Browns-Steelers playoff game. However, they threw a case of each city's best beer into the equation, like true football fans.

Nevertheless, that does not excuse the pointless nature of their wager. For as much as their respective cities, teams and fans may hate each other, why not wager something bigger? I say, if politicians really want people to think they're sports fans, why not go for the "home run," like the Browns did with their "Hail Mary" victory in Jacksonville?

The next time mayors Campbell and Murphy make a bet, it ought to include a clause stating that if this game's loser falls by more than 10 points, the loser's city is automatically annexed by the winning city until the next game, with all tax revenues and profits of the loser going to the winner for that time period. That would really show those people what it's like to gamble! And maybe, just maybe, they'd get the idea and leave the games to the players. But until then (don't hold your breath), we need to let these people know that, even though they are in politics, there's always a good and appropriate time to keep their mouths shut (i.e. the national championship game).

If you disagree, that's your prerogative. If you agree, let these people know! Write a letter, send an e-mail, make a phone call, do something! Politics ticks a lot of people off a lot of the time. But contrary to popular belief, the proper way to change this is not to grow apathetic and ignore this arena. There's a reason we can vote to change the way things are run and the people who run them. There's also a reason we have the protection of free speech in this country. Utilize it. Don't let people you can't stand speak for you.

- Kovach is an Ohio University junior. He can be reached at Kevin.J.Kovach.1@ohio.edu.