What is "political football"

n. 1 (context countable idiomatic English) A contentious political issue or problem that is often debated or discussed, but that remains unresolved; an issue or problem which is avoided by authorities and handed off to others. 2 (context uncountable idiomatic English) ongoing unproductive wrangling or posturing between political factions, resulting in failure to deal with an issue or problem in a decisive or appropriate way.

A political football is a topic or issue that is seized on by opposing political parties or factions, and made a more political issue than it might initially seem to be. "To make a political football" [out of something] is defined in William Safire's Safire's Political Dictionary as "To thrust a social, national security, or otherwise ostensibly non-political matter into partisan politics". In 1953 the gangster Lucky Luciano complained in an interview to Safire that "I been a political football".

A less-used meaning, is a political issue that is continually debated but left unresolved. The term is often used during a political election campaign to highlight issues that have not been completely addressed, such as the natural environment and abortion.