CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) -
The botched call at end of Monday night football is transcending the world of sports.
How big a problem does the NFL have on its hands? Put it this way: Democrats and Republicans can agree on practically nothing in the world, but even they agree on this.
Through speeches, news conferences and tweets today, politicians of all stripes are saying NFL must settle its labor fight with the union for the regular referees and get the replacement referees off the field.
The Republican Governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker, once pushed a law to strip collective bargaining rights away from unions. Yet even he tweeted today: #returntherealrefs." That puts him on the same side as a Democrat who once fled Wisconsin to prevent an anti-union vote from happening.
Scott Erpenbach tweeted out the phone number of the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
Candidates at the top of the party tickets are also weighing in. President Obama tweeted about hopes that the referee-labor dispute is settled soon. Paul Ryan made some jokes that targeted the replacement referees and President Obama at the same time.
A state senator in New Jersey says he's writing a proposed law to ban replacement referees from all professional sports in his state. The Giants and Jets both play in New Jersey.
The strongest reactions to the referee situation are probably still coming from the players themselves. Athletes on the Packers -- who were robbed of a victory in Monday night's game -- are said to have discussed going on strike or just kneeling down during every play of every game until the regular refs are rehired. For them and other players, it's not just about wins and losses. It's also about safety.
Twitter comments from Packer lineman T.J. Lang are getting a lot of re-tweets. Lang tweeted: "Got f****d by the refs. Embarassing. Thanks NFL." This tweet has become a national hit: "S**k it NFL. Fine me and use the money to pay the regular refs."
Both the legal and illegal parts of gambling have been shaken up by the referee situation. Oddsmaker estimate the bad call in the Packers game cost people who bet on the Packers anywhere from $300 million to $1 billion.
One internet gambling site is concerned the replacement referees will scare bettors off in the future. As a gesture of good will, it gave refunds to all its customers who bet on the Packers.
What are your thoughts on the situation? Do you think the "bad call" debacle will lead to a settlement with the regular refs? Share you thoughts on our Facebook wall.
