The reaction to the Green Bay Packers’ Monday loss night seems proof that for Wisconsinites, green and gold still supercedes blue or red.
On the last play of the game, the Packers lost to the Seattle Seahawks after officials ultimately ruled a Hail Mary pass from ex-Wisconsin Badger quarterback Russell Wilson a touchdown. However, upon review it appears there was a penalty on the Seahawks receiver before the ball was caught and Packers cornerback M.D. Jennings may have actually intercepted the pass.
Adding to the drama, the officials who made the controversial call aren’t normal National Football League referees. The NFL is in an ongoing labor dispute with the regular referees, who are bargaining for a higher salary, and “replacement” refs have taken over the week-to-week officiating.
Through the first part of the season, the replacement refs have been routinely criticized for botched calls and embarrassing mistakes, but Monday night’s debacle may be the icing on the cake. NFL analysts have decried the outcome a “disgrace” and outraged fans across the nation calling for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to end the dispute.
But in Wisconsin, the Packer controversy comes with a political twist.
Gov. Scott Walker, who became one of the most recognizable governors in the country after he eliminated most collective bargaining rights for public employees, appeared to take a pro-referee union stance following the game, calling for an end to the dispute in favor of the referees’ union in a tweet.
“After catching a few hours of sleep, the#Packers game is still just as painful.#Returntherealrefs,” Walker tweeted early Tuesday morning.
After his tweet received considerable media attention, Walker cleared up his stance on unions and the difference between public and private sector collective bargaining, tweeting Tuesday afternoon, “Being pro-taxpayer doesn't make me anti-union.”
Also getting in on the act was state Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton. Like Walker, Erpenbach’s stance on unions is well known, but for the exact opposite reason. He was one of fourteen state senators who fled the state in protest after Walker proposed his public sector union busting legislation.
Erpenbach also took the side of the embattled referees’ union, encouraging disgruntled fans to call Goodell’s office phone number in a tweet.
