T.J. Shope, a Republican state senator representing Arizona’s 16th Senate District since 2023, recently posted several tweets commenting on fan safety and broadcast issues during an Arizona State University football game.
On August 29, Shope commended efforts to protect attendees from high temperatures at the event. He wrote, “This is how it’s done! Great job @GrahamRossini and the rest of @TheSunDevils for doing everything they can to keep fans safe in the heat!”
Two days later, on August 31, Shope described difficulties accessing the game broadcast after leaving early. In his post he stated, “I was at the @ASUFootball game earlier but had to let the dog out so I figured I’d be able to watch the end on @espn+ but NOOOOO! The feed is literally non-existent and how is that possible? @GrahamRossini, @TheSunDevils and the @Big12Conference need to get ESPN to up their game!”
Later that same morning, Shope expressed appreciation for alternative coverage provided by radio broadcasters. He tweeted, “Thank you to @TimHealeyASU and @TheSunDevils radio network for keeping Sun Devil Nation clued in on the game! @GrahamRossini, thank you for responding to so many of our tweets tonight in tracking all of this down.”
Shope succeeded Kelly Townsend as state senator in 2023 after being elected to represent Arizona’s 16th Senate District.
