Monday, January 9, 2006

A Juke Move on Voters? Sports Acclaim and Becoming a Lawmaker

Gwen Knapp, a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, wonders when former star female athletes will rise to political power like former star male athletes have. (Knapp, "When Will a Woman Leap from Sports to Political Arena?," San Francisco Chronicle, 1/8/2006). Knapp reasons that females with prior athletic achievement might enjoy political advantages over other females seeking office:

Female athletes have at least one advantage over other women running for national office. They are less likely to be perceived as soft on defense issues, because they haven't spent all of their public lives in tailored suits and expensive makeup. A star female athlete can show highlight tapes from her playing career, chasing a rebound or a soccer ball with bloodlust written her in eyes and sweat trickling down her forehead.
I'm not sure that I agree with Knapp. Does anyone really regard Hillary Clinton as "soft on defense" because she never played sports? Conservatives and liberals doubtlessly employ very different adjectives when describing Senator Clinton, but I suspect neither side claims that she is "soft" on any issue, let alone because of an absence of past athletic prowess. I suspect the same could be said of other prominent female politicians. Would U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein's opposition to the Iraq War really enjoy greater support if she had, for instance, played basketball while attending Stanford University? For some reason, I don't think so.

Knapp's column does, however, bring to mind a broader question: why do voters even elect former star athletes? Knapp correctly notes that "renowned athletes do extremely well in the political arena" and for that reason, former star female athletes might likewise enjoy a tactical advantage. Just consider some of the former star athletes who have risen to political power:

-Jack Kemp
Former Buffalo Bills' quarterback who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and later became Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President George H.W. Bush. Also was the Republican Party's nominee for Vice President in 1996.

-Bill Bradley
Hall of Fame forward for the New York Knicks who became a U.S. Senator and later the runner-up to Al Gore for the Democratic Presidential nomination in 2000.

-Steve Largent (pictured above)
Hall of Fame wide-receiver for the Seattle Seahawks who now serves in the U.S. House of Representatives.

-Jim Bunning
Hall of Fame pitcher for several MLB teams who now serves in the U.S. Senate.

-J.C. Watts
Former championship quarterback for the University of Oklahoma who served in the U.S. House of Representatives.

-Lynn Swan
MVP of Superbowl X for Pittsburgh Steelers who is now seeking to become Governor of Pennsylvania.

The list above could also be expanded to include well-known former coaches who have risen to political prominence (e.g., U.S. Rep. Tom Osborne used to coach the Nebraska Cornhuskers). Or it could be expanded to include any ex-jock who received at least some acclaim at some point or perhaps even ex-cheerleaders (e.g., President George W. Bush and U.S. Senator Trent Lott were on the cheerleading squads for Yale University and the University of Mississippi, respectively). In any event, the list above will likely enjoy future additions, as a number of current star athletes appear to possess political aspirations. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, for instance, has repatedly spoke of his post-NFL career political ambitions.

But isn't it rather odd that voters seem to infer governance acumen from sports achievement? Really, is there any connection between an ability to hit a receiver going out to the flat and understanding Medicare? Or knowing when to box-out and knowing how to assess the competing interests in the ANWR drilling debate? Or how about excelling at playing safety and excelling at ensuring safety? I guess one might argue that star players learn important leadership and teamwork skills, as well as insight on dealing with the media and fans. Perhaps those are useful skills for raising money, and perhaps they serve them well in making friends when they get to Washington, but I'm not sure they serve the interests of voters or public policy in general. Of course, that is not to say that former star athletes cannot do well as lawmakers or government executives, as some of those listed above have earned admiration for their political work.

But then again, perhaps this phenomenon is not so much about sports as it is about celebrity: Americans--and especially Californians--seem to enjoy electing celebrities who have minimal or no political experience (see e.g., Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sonny Bono, Clint Eastwood, Jesse Ventura, Fred Grandy, and perhaps also John Glenn).

Oh well. At least we aren't Italian voters.

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