political football

noun

: an issue that politicians argue about and try to use for their advantage

This issue is too important to be treated as a political football.

Examples of political football in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Teams are also preparing for reactive scenarios — such as how to respond if they get roped into a culture war, used as a political football or singled out in an X post. —Eleanor Hawkins, Axios, 21 Nov. 2024

Matches between the countries affects the national psyche of the countries and used as a political football by the warring governments. —Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

So began a game of uniquely cruel political football, with real, terrified humans caught in the middle, as Polish authorities immediately started sending the refugees back across the barbed wire, only for them to then be forced back into Poland by Belarusian soldiers, often at gunpoint, and so on. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 June 2024

However, the closure immediately became a political football, with Republicans and gas station operators blaming the policies of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. —Laurence Darmiento, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024