“WASHINGTON Ultimate Fighting Championship has come to Washington to engage in the city’s ultimate sport: lobbying. . . .
The sport’s owners are concerned that it could come under federal regulation by a proposed new commission to regulate boxing that two senior lawmakers are pushing. To help head that off, the Las Vegas-based UFC spent $240,000 last year lobbying Congress.
Its biggest task, said lobbyist Makan Delrahim, is to convince Congress that the sport has cleaned up its act since the 1990s, when it drew the opposition of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. He once referred to it as ‘human cockfighting’ and called for it to be banned. . . .
In 2005, the Justice Department sent a letter to the Senate Commerce Committee, expressing “serious constitutional objections to several provisions of the bill,” such as one that would limit the president’s authority to remove members of the boxing commission. That letter was signed by William Moschella, an assistant attorney general; Moschella has since left the government and is now part of UFC’s lobbying team.
The new administration of President Barack Obama has yet to take a position on the bill.” (Read more from mmalinker.com)
Dear Washington: Please keep your greedy, power-hungry paws off my favorite sport. You’re already ruining my country. Leave my favorite sport alone.
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