Big Government: Leave Professional Sports Alone

Arlen, Arlen, Arlen. You're one of my favorite Senators because you understand the GOP's real core values and you've been instrumental in keeping government out of American lives. Yet Bill Belichick spies on some other teams and Arlen Specter thinks it's time for a Federal investigation?

I don't pretend to like the Patriots, but I'm still not concerned with the details of their spying. Gathering intelligence on your opponents is only prudent. If it's not against the rules, it may be a sleazy trick, but you gotta hand it to him. On the other hand, if it IS against the rules, then they should be punished. By the NFL, after an internal investigation. INTERNAL. The NFL is a private business. As is Major League Baseball. And MLB has their own problems (that look like this) that they’d better clean up if they want to retain the generations of fans that have made them what they are. Again, that's the prudent course of action for any private company looking to keep its market position. But the insistence on Federal oversight into private recreational franchises, in these cases and in others, is frankly a little bizarre. Especially because it's coming from the GOP.

Whether or not you're a football fan, whether you love or hate the Pats, they're a franchise of a private entity - the NFL - that doesn't need to be subjected to extended scrutiny by the Federal government. Come on Arlen. There are real problems we need you to focus on. Let's not let an internal NFL squabble distract you from your commitment to limited, fair government.