The Football Bloc

As campaign issues go, it could not compete with the war, the economy or law-and-order. But it was certainly an emotional question, as Richard Nixon understood. For years the National Football League has forbidden televi sion broadcasts of a team's home games within a 75-mile radius of its city, arguing that TV would cut the take at the stadium. Now Congress is considering legislation that would ban the blackout.

The President, a sports addict who also knows that the American football bloc is a formidable constituency, came out solidly behind the idea and said that he hopes to sign a bill into law before Con gress goes home this week -- a doubtful prospect at this point. In any case, Nix on had made the gesture. In a sense, it was even a grandly selfless move: since the White House telecommunications network can pick up virtually any broadcast in the country, Nixon person ally never has to miss a Washington Redskins game on the tube.

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