State of Sports Influence - 3/14 Update - MMA,Lockout, Hockey & NJ
MMA & W.V - MMA notches another state victory by working through a sanctioning bill in West Virginia. This sport continues to lead the way in terms of influence on the state level. They've gone from outlawed in a majority of the country to now being restricted in only a few places - all due to their savvy lobbying.
But - The main prize of NY still eludes them....
NJ Sports Authority - Looks like former Rep. Michael Ferguson will be appointed to the NJ Sports Authority, an appointment made by Governor Christie.
NJ Sports Authority - Looks like former Rep. Michael Ferguson will be appointed to the NJ Sports Authority, an appointment made by Governor Christie.
Why It's Good For NJ Sports - Having a former Congressman (and a respected one at that) on the Board of a Committee which has been beleagured by financial woes, puts a respected and serious face on the important revenue that sports brings to NJ.
NFL Lockout - The NFL has officially decertified and moved the battle to federal court making a lockout seem more and more likely.
Sports Influence - Now is the question of whether the antitrust exemption which the NFL receives will have any legs in Congress. Over the years, different elected officials have thrown out the NFL exemption as an example of what could happen if the NFL doesn't play ball, but is it realistic that this fight will end up in Congress? Federal court seems the most likely place where this ends.
Hockey - The Congressional Hockey Challenge seemed to get a lot of press this year. That's a coup for hockey in the sense that having lawmakers play your sport leads to some love with it. The annual Congressional football and baseball games are long-standing institutions in Congress and lead to an appreciation for the respective sports by the powerful. Congressional Soccer needs to get going.....
Hockey - The Congressional Hockey Challenge seemed to get a lot of press this year. That's a coup for hockey in the sense that having lawmakers play your sport leads to some love with it. The annual Congressional football and baseball games are long-standing institutions in Congress and lead to an appreciation for the respective sports by the powerful. Congressional Soccer needs to get going.....
(image courtesy of wikimedia)
Maury Litwack is a recognized lobbying expert and founder of the advocacy training and education firm - Capitol Plan which publishes the weekly Lobbying Letter and produces the Municipal Influence Summit. Maury served on the staff of two Congressmen where he provided legislative expertise and political strategy. Maury left the Hill to expand the Washington office of Miami-Dade County, the 6th largest county in the country. His analysis of lobbyists, lobbying, celebrity advocacy, and earmarks have appeared in political publications such as The Hill, Daily Caller and FoxNews.com and on the radio in programs such as AOL's Politics Daily and XM/SIRIUS POTUS. His take on ongoing tech advocacy issues have appeared in top technology publications Business Insider -SAI, TechCrunch, and Mashable
