On paper, Reps. Jimmy Panetta and Tracey Mann don’t seem like they’d agree on much. A Democrat representing California’s Central Coast and a Republican whose district spans half of Kansas make for an unlikely duo.
But the pair are on shared turf as they co-captain the Mean Machine, the members’ team for the Congressional Football Game.
“You find your similarities, and he’s really easy to work with because he’s here for the right reasons,” Panetta said.
Their squad of lawmakers will face off against a team of Capitol Police officers, aptly nicknamed the Guards, on March 17 at Nationals Park. The game is a fundraiser for several charity partners, including the U.S. Capitol Police Memorial Fund, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Our Military Kids and A Advantage 4 Kids.
Typically played in the fall, the game was rescheduled to the spring after last year’s partial government shutdown.
While Panetta and Mann said the goal is to win and raise money for a good cause, they also see it as a way to forge bipartisan bonds at a time when that’s not so easy.
“It’s one thing to be on a committee with someone across the aisle. It’s a whole other thing to be at football practice at 7:15 in the morning, sweating, doing drills, trying to cover the other team,” Mann said.
As they’ve played together over the years, Panetta and Mann have found common ground in their interest in agricultural issues too. Mann sits on the House Agriculture Committee, and Panetta’s district is a hotbed for agriculture. The two of them co-chair the FFA Caucus and even live in the same building when they’re in D.C., alongside several other members.
“On the football team, we are both on the defense together, so in practice we both have been linebackers, and sometimes I slip out and play corner. But he’s a hard worker professionally and on the athletic field as well,” Mann said.
The two still have political differences, but Panetta switched over to baseball metaphors to make his case: “You can’t look at it in a vacuum when it comes to just the big bills. You have to continue to try to get the base hits of smaller bills, knowing that that’s our job here: to legislate where we can and not just let leadership go along and keep us in our partisan ways.”
Another thing Panetta and Mann agree on? How much they look forward to getting to play with former NFL players in the annual charity game, including former Washington Commanders quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
“To have him playing on our side especially should help our offense, and hopefully we can score some touchdowns,” Mann said.
The Mean Machine hasn’t had a victory since 2019, and the captains are hungry for a win this year. Although the game was delayed, Panetta said it’s been tough to find time to practice because of the weather and scheduling conflicts.
“We’ve had canceled votes. We’ve had canceled weeks. … It’s just been kind of crazy, unfortunately, and the weather has been cold, so we haven’t gotten out there as much as possible,” Panetta said. “But hopefully the game will go off without a hitch.”
They’re always looking for new recruits — the more experience, the better.
“I’m out there constantly trying to recruit members of Congress that I know are athletic. Specifically, we need some fast members to play quarterback, to try to cover their fast receivers. We also need some men and women that can rush and get after the quarterback as well,” Mann said.
The Guards have long been a formidable opponent. Prior to 2019, the police squad had won consistently for a decade, although back then the game was held just once per congressional term.
“The Capitol Police is a great team, a lot of former college players,” Mann said. “They are faster than I am; they’re in better shape than I am.”
Mann has been playing in the game since he first came to Congress in 2021, and Panetta since 2017. The two have been co-captains together for two years now, but Panetta has led the game with other members like Rep. Rick Crawford and former Rep. Rodney Davis as well. The key ingredient is trust, he said.
“It’s real easy to come back here and sort of be stuck in your partisan trench, and for some, there’s not really a reason to get out of it,” Panetta said. “This allows you that opportunity.”
And one more thing they have in common? The aches and pains.
“I think we’re going to have some very sore members of Congress come Wednesday morning,” Mann said.
