Nebraska lawmakers v. lobbyists end-of-session basketball tradition returns; lobbyists win 43-22

LINCOLN — With just one day left in Nebraska’s 2026 legislative session, some state senators took to the basketball court against registered lobbyists in the return of a tradition that has been off and on for decades.

Lobbyists took the upper hand, 43-22, but lobbyists, senators, legislative staff and members of the public said the tradition is deeper than any score or who won the “Rotunda Ball Champion” trophy. 

Rather, it’s a chance to relax and see each other as people, not merely legislative friend or foe.

“Puts us all back in the same frame of mind that we’re all friends in and out of the Capitol,” said State Sen. Barry DeKay of Niobrara, a referee for the game. “This is a human moment for all of us.”

State Sen. Fred Meyer of St. Paul coached the legislative team inside the University of Nebraska Coliseum at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

“Fun to joke around with these guys, because we have to do a lot of serious stuff over on the floor, and to be able to relax with everybody here is a lot of fun,” Meyer said after the game.

Meyer’s bipartisan team included State Sens. Beau Ballard of Lincoln, Carolyn Bosn of Lincoln, John Fredrickson of Omaha, Bob Hallstrom of Syracuse, Jana Hughes of Seward, Megan Hunt of Omaha, Dan Lonowski of Hastings, Terrell McKinney of Omaha, Dave Murman of Glenvil, Jason Prokop of Lincoln, Dan Quick of Grand Island, Tony Sorrentino of the Elkhorn area, Ashlei Spivey of Omaha, Jared Storm of David City and Paul Strommen of Sidney.

“After a very grueling, hard session and really long nights, it was actually nice to burn some energy on the court and play with my colleagues,” Spivey said, adding she hopes the tradition continues “for the long haul.”

Hughes’ son, who is attending UNL, and her husband watched Hughes play. She said with a laugh after the game, when asked for her reaction: “I’m out of shape. I’m really bad at basketball.” But she thought senators held their own, with a 71- and 72-year-old on their team and half as many players as the lobbyists.

“Good way to end,” Hughes said of the session.

The legislative session wraps up next Friday. Lawmakers sent more than 100 bills for Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen’s approval this week that are due back by midnight Thursday.

DeKay has officiated high school basketball for four decades, and sometimes moonlights around his legislative duties. He said it was a well-coached game, and Meyer of the reffing said: “For the material they had to work with, it’s as good as they could do.”

“There’s only so much I could do to help the senators,” DeKay said with a laugh. “They didn’t step up to the plate today.”

Eric Gerrard, a lobbyist now in his 12th session, noted tensions can be high at times during the lawmaking process, but that “there’s something that unites us all.”

Gerrard was one of the co-organizers for the last basketball games in 2018 and 2019. He said he wished it could have returned sooner but credited Clerk of the Legislature Brandon Metzler for pushing for the final return.

“He gets a lot of credit, but I hope we keep doing it,” said Gerrard.

Hallstrom, a longtime former lobbyist since 1981, when he graduated from the University of Nebraska College of Law, was the first to score for the lawmakers, saying he “took the lid off the basket.” He fell a few times during the game while blocking or trying to score, as did a couple other senators, and when asked how he felt after, said: “I’ll let you know tomorrow.”

Hallstrom said he played on the lobbyist team around 1989 in what were three consecutive years of games. In the first, he said, lobbyists “made a terrible mistake” by beating the senators in a “really hard-fought, well-played game.”

“The next year, the senators got three points per shot, and we got two, and they beat us and returned the favor,” Hallstrom said.

The tradition had been picked up “every once in a while,” Hallstrom said, though he hadn’t played again until now.

“Somebody said I still got it, I just can’t find it very often,” Hallstrom said.

Metzler played on the side of the lawmakers, who every other year vote for who will be the clerk of the Legislature. He bore a “0” for his player number, while lawmakers bore their district numbers on custom-made shirts. Metzler said it was a great opportunity for staff, public, lobbyists and even senators themselves to see a different side of the elected officials.

“I think a lot of times, they get up on the mic and you get a different perception from when they’re speaking on the camera,” Metzler said. “It’s cool to just see them out here, as individuals, and having fun.”

At times, staff cheered on lawmakers, jeered lobbyists or jumped up and clapped when lawmakers scored or tried to score.

Metzler, on the game’s outcome, said: “Would like to see the score go a little different, but it’s alright. We’ll get them next year.”

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