A political football is a topic or issue that is seized on by opposing political parties or factions and made a more political issue than it might initially seem to be. "To make a political football" [out of something] is defined in William Safire's Safire's Political Dictionary as "To thrust a social, national security, or otherwise ostensibly non-political matter into partisan politics". In 1953 the gangster Lucky Luciano complained in an interview to Safire that "I been a political football".[1]
A less-used meaning, is a political issue that is continually debated but left unresolved. The term is often used during a political election campaign to highlight issues that have not been completely addressed, such as the natural environment and abortion.[citation needed]