Athletes influence on politics

On the eve of the inauguration we need to discuss the impact that athletes had on the 2008 Presidential election. The questions which need to be asked are: should sports be purely a form of entertainment or a microcosm of society; Are athletes role models for society as a whole; Should athletes’ social commentary be taken seriously by the public at large; Does the discussion of politics belong in the locker room? These are all questions which were raised during the November Presidential Election between then Democratic nominee Barack Obama, and Republican nominee John McCain, but really were never addressed.

Often times in society people drool over sports stars, while looking at politicians with contempt. It is not often that a politician or anybody for that matter is admired by an athlete, but recently this changed. On January 3, 2008, during the Iowa Democratic Caucuses, we began to hear the faint chants of a relatively unknown name. This chant reverberated from Main Street U.S.A. to locker rooms around the country. The name heard in these chants was “Obama Obama Obama.” After June 3rd 2008, when Barack Obama officially became the Democratic nominee for President, these chants became louder from the general public, the many athletes who either had or began to support Barack. The chants were no longer “Obama Obama Obama”, by these individuals; they were now chanting “Obama Obama Obama!!!!” With even more average everyday Joes and more high profile athletes joining the chant daily.

With athletes now vocalizing their support of the then Democratic Presidential nominee and current President Elect Barack Obama, many more ordinary people who had never before been involved in politics began to endorsing Barack Obama as the candidate that they supported. When many of the athletes were questioned why they supported Obama many of them cited the need for change as their reason for this choice, and proclaimed their political affiliation to be Obama 08. While I am all for change, I often felt that some of these athletes were doing themselves and those that merely followed their lead a disservice, because they did not express specific social issues that had shaped their beliefs. While many of the these athletes are now rich and famous, a large portion of these athletes grew up in substandard and impoverished living conditions similar to those of a third world country. To many of them and other Americans, Obama was their ray of hope with his tax and health care policies. Due to people’s inability to express what they saw in Obama, many people supported him because their favorite athletes, such as LeBron James, Luke Walton, Grant Hill, or Chris Paul, Dave Winfield, Muhammad Ali etc, endorsed him. Many of the followers of these athletes knew they wanted change, as did the athletes wanted, but they were not sure what change they wanted? Some political pundits have said that these types of actions perpetuated an uninformed electorate, which many see as a dangerous electorate.

As the campaign continued opposing Democratic and Republican sides challenge Obama supporters to justify their support of him and to define what he meant by “change.” This forced supporters voting for Obama, because their favorite athlete endorsed him ,to take a deeper look at the issues. These individuals who had initially been brought into a political discussion, for the first time in their lives, by their desire to support their favorite athlete or to oppose other athletes’ views, began to arm themselves with information about the various candidates, their stances, and their past records. Their choice of candidate turned from being the choice of the athletes that they admired or disliked, to their choice because they felt he was or was not the best candidate for the job.

There was a groundswell of support for the then Democratic nominee. Obama was seen by many of the famous athletes and common people as the most qualified candidate. Without knowing it, many athletes had made their mark in the political world, by convincing their fans to become engaged in the political process for the first times in their lives. These athletes were using their voices to educate the general population without even knowing it. Some observers have asked the question “is this path that the pure sports fan should embrace”. Should Tiger Woods for example be speaking at Inauguration activities or rehabbing his knee, and should Charles Barkley be going on Larry King Live endorsing a candidate while he cannot stop gambling and drinking and driving?

Many of the athletes who openly endorsed either presidential candidate stood, and still stand, to lose millions in endorsement dollars because of their outspoken political views. With this in mind, it is vitally important for athletes to have finally stood up and let their voices be heard. Athletes should not instruct citizens on how they should vote; however, they should instruct them on how to become informed voters to make their own decision. Even when they are, at times, uninformed rational for selecting a certain candidate, athletes forced the American sports fan to take notice of issues outside of the playing field. They forced fans to research socio-economics issues, and make judgments for themselves. And more important, athletes enabled the country’s youth to become more engaged in the political process—a group of people who voted and participated in the political campaigns in unprecedented numbers. In the end a person who is better informed will make better judgments than those who are not, hence making them a better voter.

No matter which side you choose, hopefully the athletes helped convince you to at least pay attention to the process, and pick a candidate or issue to support. So, yes, I do believe the discussion of politics belongs in the locker room, because the locker room reaches into your living room. I do feel that athletes should give some form of commentary about politics in hopes of engaging others. I just hope that these athletes’ using their voice to change American culture is not a single election cycle phenomenon. Athletes should follow the lead of boxing great Muhammad Ali, or Chris Duhon who is skipping practice to attend the Presidential Inauguration, and let their voices be heard no matter what the consequences. While they are at it, they should take up other pressing social issues, such as the issues of better health care and pensions for the fans that attend their game. This will help them avoid hypocrisy and give them more credibility in the eyes of their critics. This will not only make sports world better, it will also make our country better place. So enjoy Tuesday's Inauguration, and realize the impact that sports had on this day.

Johnson is a contributor to The Sports Information Hub and can be contacted at johnsonthesportsguy@gmail.com