A Different Ball Game
March 10, 2011 - by
The crowds and the quality of basketball aren’t the only things in decline at the ACC tournament. So is its political prestige.
Back when, the tournament was The Place to Be for The Powers That Be. A walk around the concourse was a power walk among legislators, decision-makers and North Carolina
But long-time tournament-goers tell me it has changed dramatically. One long-time lobbyist said that, the last time he went, he walked around the concourse twice and didn’t see a soul he knew. He came home Thursday and watched the rest of the games on TV.
What happened?
Ethics happened. Legislators can no longer accept free tickets from the universities and corporate lobbyists. And they’re too cheap to buy their own.
And so another great political tradition dribbles off into history.
Posted in General
A Different Ball Game
March 10, 2011/
The crowds and the quality of basketball aren’t the only things in decline at the ACC tournament. So is its political prestige.
Back when, the tournament was The Place to Be for The Powers That Be. A walk around the concourse was a power walk among legislators, decision-makers and North Carolina
But long-time tournament-goers tell me it has changed dramatically. One long-time lobbyist said that, the last time he went, he walked around the concourse twice and didn’t see a soul he knew. He came home Thursday and watched the rest of the games on TV.
What happened?
Ethics happened. Legislators can no longer accept free tickets from the universities and corporate lobbyists. And they’re too cheap to buy their own.
And so another great political tradition dribbles off into history.
Posted in General