Political Football ln Ohio: GOP State Senator Wants Law Appointing Wilson 'Official' Pigskin

Sen. Cliff Hite Was Slow To Spot Roethtlisberger's Skills  

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- State Sen. Cliff Hite, a Findlay Republican who is probably best known as the high school coach who picked his son as the starting quaterback over Ben Roethlisberger, is once again scrambling for gridiron notoriety.   Hite wants a state law that legally brands Wilson footballs as the official football of Ohio.  The factory is in his district.  His measure doesn't explain why Ohio needs an "official" football:

A BILL

To enact section 5.091 of the Revised Code to designate the Wilson brand football as the official state football.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1. That section 5.091 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec. 5.091. The Wilson football, a brand manufactured by the Wilson Sporting Goods Company in Ada, Ohio, is designated as the official football of the state.

Hites chairs the Senate Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources Committee, the panel responsible for clean air and water and state parks.  It is a major post and maybe the ex-coach is out of his league there.    Hite has yet to find a cosponsor for the football bill, a signal that most lawmakers appear to have punted.  Although Wilson Sporting Goods Co. is based in Chicago and employs about 1,600 Americans it is not an American-owned company.  Amer Sports of Helsinki, Finland owns Wilson lock, stock and barrel.  Perhaps Hite is out of bounds here -- it could be that Ohio's legislature no doubt has more important duties than producing glorified commercials for sporting goods manufacturers.