Pro Athletes And Politics
With the Presidential election approaching, the similarities between professional sports and politics become obvious. They are also quite numerous when you actually sit down to count them.
There’s the travel - whether across the country or state. Then there’s the media contingent that either follows you from town to town or is waiting for you upon arrival – tape recorder or camera ready to roll as soon as you step off the bus.
Athletics and politics also require discipline, going through the same grind day after day and season after season, yet still showing the passion you had when you first got into the arena. The two activities also share the need for constant number crunching. Stats are the lifeblood of athletics and politics, with the difference between the latest poll and batting average just the placement of the decimal point.
When the two major political parties go recruiting, they often stop by the door or former professional athletes.
“They’re able to weather the storm that is politics,” explained Wayne Parent, chairman of LSU’s political science department, in an SI.com article. “They’re better prepared to mix it up in the political game. Famous athletes get the double benefit of name recognition and the confidence to play politics.”
Some examples of how the two worlds mix well:
–Jim Bunning, a Hall of Fame pitcher for four major league teams from 1957-91, has been in politics for over 25 years and has served as a U.S. Senator from Kentucky.
–Steve Largent, a Hall of Fame receiver with Seattle, served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1994-2002 before giving up his seat to make an unsuccessful run for governor of Oklahoma in 2002.
–Jack Kemp, a 13-year NFL quarterback served as a New York Congressman from 1971-89 and was Republican Bob Dole’s running mate in the 1996 presidential election.
–Bill Bradley, a two-time NBA Championship winner with the Knicks from 1966-77, was a New Jersey U.S. Senator for 18 years and waged an unsuccessful campaign for the 2000 Democratic Presidential nomination.
There were also a few pro athletes involved in recent elections. Lynn Swann, a Hall of Fame receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, ran as a Republican in Pennsylvania’s race for Governor – losing out to incumbent Ed Rendell.
On a more successful note, former Redskins, Saints and Raiders quarterback Heath Shuler won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives (North Carolina).
Athletes also have the advantage of often running in well-to-do circles making it easier to raise money and increase their celebrity even further.
New Jersey lawmakers had not-so-secretly been nudging former New York Mets and Yankees pitcher Al Leiter toward running for the U.S. Senate – something Leiter doesn’t talk about much but something he has expressed interest in doing.
Leiter, with ties to New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, might be a rare bird in the professional sports world - someone who would talk politics just as easily as he would talk pitch selection. He was also one of several Mets players invited to attend the GOP Convention when it was held in New York in 2004. Some of the delegates were invited to take batting practice with the Mets that week in August.
When players on the Mets and Yankees were quizzed about their political leanings, responses leaned more toward not being involved in politics at all.
“I don’t have any interest in politics,” said Yankees right-hander Mike Mussina – a Stanford grad whose penchant for crossword puzzles has him pegged as the team braniac.
Yankees catcher Jorge Posada, who spends a quarter of the year in Puerto Rico said he couldn’t tell you what a Democrat or a Republican is and estimated that maybe 10 out of the 25 players on the Yankees roster voted.
Left-hander Tom Glavine of the Atlanta Braves said in an article said he didn’t vote in presidential election until 2000 and didn’t register to vote until he was 34.
But when there is money involved, something professional athletes have in good supply, politicians make that connection quickly. Athletes make tons of contributions to political campaigns, especially during a run for the presidency.
Studies by political organizations show that about 1 in 250 adults donate $200 or more to a party or candidate for a federal position (U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, and President).
When it comes to professional athletes, some estimate that ratio quadruples to about 4 in 250 giving that much and it’s often much more considering their income brackets.
A study by USA Today done just before the 2004 presidential election revealing 31 current professional athletes and coaches had donated $200 or more to either presidential candidate in the previous two years. Twenty-three supported Republican George W Bush – among them current Cubs manager Lou Piniella, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, former Houston Texans head coach Dom Capers, former Utah Jazz star forward Karl Malone and Tom Kite and Davis Love III of the PGA Tour.
The search showed none donating in support of Democrat John Kerry but eight had donated to Kerry’s running mate – John Edwards – during his campaign during the primaries. All those names came from the NBA including five head coaches such as Rick Carlisle and Gregg Popovich.
It’s very likely the number of athletes that donate is much higher since many names on the Federal Election Commission database are abbreviated and not easily recognized.
One person however, Occidental College political science professor Peter Dreier, said his research shows the number of professional athletes that donate to politicians is lower.
“I think most athletes live in an ESPN bubble, particularly in team sports where everyone around them is focusing on their sport,” Dreier said in the USA Today story. “They’re insulated from the day-to-day concerns of normal people.”
