On the heels of yesterday’s petty, Seattle-punishing tunnel amendment (which, not surprisingly, may not be enforceable), and in response to WSU boosters’ opposition to the Husky Stadium bill (that wasn’t clearly about Husky Stadium anyway), Ed Murray is going to propose a budget amendment prohibiting state funds, tuition revenues, or school fees from being spent on college athletics at the state’s public research universities. The aim? To punish WSU, whose students approved a fee to help remodel Martin Stadium. But the amendment would also cut off the $2 million in state money that WSU currently receives for its athletic department. The thing is, that money doesn’t go to football, which, like at the UW, more than supports itself. (Probably because it’s a minor-league sport with major-league TV contracts that receives tax-deductible donations and doesn’t pay its primary talent.) WSU sports information director Bill Stevens says the $2 million mainly “helps with salaries, though not football and basketball salaries. Those [sports] are our biggest revenue generators.” By contrast, he notes, sports like tennis, soccer, golf, and rowing don’t charge admission. (Update: Here’s an article that provides some details on WSU athletic spending.)Of course, you could argue that preventing King County from raising taxes for stadiums has the same effect, as UW football raises funds for other sports. It’s pretty dumb for the state to prevent municipalities and universities from raising their own money. It’s particularly dumb when that money can skip the corrupt middleman of college football. Anyone who follows college sports knows that if there’s a shortage of slop in the trough, it’s pretty clear which piggy’s gonna get to eat.