Pay, Eagles, Pay?

Certainly Philadelphia sports fans have heard the song, "Fly, Eagles, Fly." It's a popular song in these parts on Sundays during football season. But this week protesters tailgated outside of team owner Jeffrey Lurie's Main Line mansion and sang, "Pay, Eagles, Pay." Only they weren't much in tune and gave the send-up of the team's fight song more of a chant vibe.

At least that's how the scene was described by the local press.

Apparently members of the social advocacy group ACORN had a few burgers and dogs outside of Lurie's manse in protest of what the claim is the team's refusal to pay approximately $8 million in fees to the City of Philadelphia from shared revenues in luxury boxes at Veterans Stadium.

In other words, ACORN wants the Eagles to pay the city the money it did not offer Brian Dawkins.

Bigger than that, ACORN is wants the football team, (recently valued at $1 billion by Forbes Magazine and currently $40 million under the salary cap according to team president Joe Banner) to pay up because Mayor Michael Nutter has promised budget cuts for some social services provided by the city.

So that $8 million the Eagles reportedly owe will go a long way, says ACORN.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Ian Phillips, the group's legislative director, said businesses and other entities owe the city millions.

"We could use that money to cut the budget shortfall," Phillips said. "We're going to be calling out other people who owe the city money. We're moving down the list."

Certainly it's more fodder for Lurie's critics during a week filled with some PR hits related to the team's personnel moves. Still, a team spokesperson told KYW radio that the amount the team owes is in dispute and the Eagles are awaiting a decision by an arbitrator to determine who much money the club owes.

Now here's the interesting thing about Lurie and ACORN. During the 2008 Presidential campaign Lurie reportedly donated $4,600 to then candidate Barack Obama. The interesting part about that is President Obama had an association with ACORN from his days as a community organizer in Chicago.

Lurie also has made $67,500 in federal campaign contributions dating back to 1984. Going back to late 2006, Lurie has made four donations of over $2,000 to Hillary Clinton and was a supporter of the current Secretary of State's presidential campaign.

So it sounds as if Lurie and the Eagles will pay the city its share of the luxury box revenues... the team just wants a judge to tell it how much.

Source: News Meat

Following the money

Following today’s testimony by Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the notion that members of Congress split along party lines during their questioning was prevalent. The idea that Democrats were tough on Clemens and more apt to find McNamee credible, while Republicans drilled McNamee and were soft on Clemens has some legs. That got me thinking a little bit – is Roger Clemens a donor to any specific politicians or political groups. It’s well known that Clemens, a Texan, has a relationship with the Bush family, but when it comes to writing checks to politicos Clemens is about as revealing as his today’s testimony.

In other words, there is nothing there.

According to the report on federal campaign contributions filed as of Feb. 11, Clemens has never donated more than $200 to any politician or political special interest group since 1978. The same goes for Brian McNamee.

In fact, amongst active team-sport athletes the political contributions aren’t overwhelming. Shane Battier, Lance Berkman, Peyton Manning, Dikembe Mutombo and Alex Rodriguez are the most notable donors.

Locally, all of the team owners and chairman have made political contributions, with Bill Giles of the Phillies and Jeffrey Lurie of the Eagles giving away the most. According to the filings, Lurie wrote a check for $10,000 to Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee last November and dished out a pair of $2,300 checks to Hillary Clinton for President on Sept. 18, 2007.

But like Giles, who has donated to both Republicans and Democrats, Lurie’s money has no party alliegience.

Meanwhile, Eagles coach Andy Reid recently donated $2,300 to Mitt Romney’s campaign for President.

Anyway, if the reason why Republicans were softer on Clemens than McNamee today and Democrats grilled the pitcher, but were sympathetic to the ex-trainer, it isn’t because of political contributions.

Meanwhile, there are a lot of folks who have wondered why Congress is digging into baseball’s drug problem instead of more pressure issues.

“Don’t they have anything better to do?” people have asked.

No. No they don’t.

For more on who gives money to whom, click here.