Missouri’s Redistricting Fight Gets an Assist From…Disney’s ‘Air Bud’?! – RedState
As redistricting scenarios spread across the country, most of the attention has focused on the big players, primarily Texas and California. Recently, Indiana made news when it rejected plans to redraw its district, with the GOP-led state Senate voting against the move.
READ MORE: Breaking: Indiana Republicans betray Trump on redistricting, reject GOP-friendly map
Meanwhile, Missouri Republicans quietly moved to redistrict the territory, and they were aided by an unlikely ally.
A golden retriever playing basketball.
There were plenty of political fireworks in Jefferson City, given that the Legislature had recently enacted redrawn congressional maps in the state in 2022. Then there was the matter of those bothered by a special session called in September 2025 to address several agenda items, including redistricting. Although some saw it as a long-term effort, the proposal was adopted. But it’s not a win-win situation.
As has become the usual course following a new agenda item, lawsuits were filed to combat movements that conventional political practice was incapable of stopping. Regarding the newly drawn districts, the main argument has been that making these map changes in the middle of the decade is not valid. The usual process is to undertake this action shortly after the census, i.e. once every ten years. Enter the “Air Bud” argument: “There’s no rule that says a dog can’t play basketball.” »
(For the uninitiated, “Air Bud” is a family film series involving a Golden Retriever who mastered sports. He played football in “Golden Receiver,” baseball in “Seventh Inning Fetch,” soccer in “World Pup” and volleyball in “Spikes Back,” and there was a direct-to-video entry involving puppies. A reboot of the franchise is expected to be released next year.)
The Missouri GOP made a similar argument in the face of criticism of its new redistricting plan. Lawmakers actually invoked the movie scene at the State House when debating the issue, and it has been a pervasive argument in confrontations since, including in interviews, such as with Attorney General Catherine Hanaway. After the passage of the new card, during the opposing trial, the reference to the athletic dog was brought up in arguments before Cole County Circuit Judge Christopher Limbaugh by the plaintiffs’ attorney, Chuck Hatfield.
Hatfield compared the defense’s argument that the Constitution did not explicitly prohibit mid-decade redistricting to the movie “Air Bud.” “There’s a famous scene where the referee says, ‘There’s no rule that a dog can’t play basketball,’ and they allow the dog to play. It’s ridiculous and it’s a little ridiculous,” Hatfield said. “We don’t have ‘Air Bud’ rules in Missouri for very good reasons, but that’s essentially the state’s argument.”
SEE ALSO: The battle for the House continues, but the GOP is (now) handicapped
Breaking: Supreme Court allows Texas redistricting plan to stand
It’s good to know that in some political circles, important election issues may hinge on arguments based on dialogue from a movie in which a dog can hit a three-pointer. Honestly, after the bill was approved, I think the Republicans missed a golden PR opportunity. They should have had a dog of this breed that trotted into the rooms with a hammer in its mouth before sticking its beak into the passage.
Some of you have never seen Air Bud and it shows. pic.twitter.com/Zos7JBxRR6
– Jarrod Alberich, The Yard Sale Artist™️🦚 (@yardsaleartist) December 12, 2025
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