This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2005, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
How do you garner lawmakers' attention? Try football.
While sometimes hostile to the University of Utah, state legislators came running for tickets last year as the Utes continued on their undefeated, BCS bowl-busting season.
Lawmakers scored about 160 tickets and various barbecue and tailgating passes at a cost of $6,335, according to lobbyist disclosures released Tuesday. So, as the Utes won a championship, the U. won top billing as the No. 1 goodie-giver, with a total of 6,553 spent last year.
The Utah Soft Drink Association, which doesn't have a football team but throws a big legislative bash anyway, came in second at 0,280. And Utah State University, whose team went 3-8, placed third with $6,608 in gifts to lawmakers. Only ,821 was in football tickets, though.
