Write On Sports LLC - "The 2006 Election for the Common (Sports) Man" by Troy Somero

The 2006 Election for the Common (Sports) Man

2006-11-09 18:42:27 | By: Troy Somero

During the 2004 presidential election, a friend of mine at college who was not politically inclined mentioned that the whole electoral process confused him. I tried to explain the election in a way both of us would understand:

Me: “The election is like a football game…”

My friend: “Actually, it's more like a cricket game – it's long and I have no idea what's going on.”

This ended my attempt to connect the election to the sporting world. That is, until Election Night 2006. After watching hours of fancy graphics, talking heads and bold-yet-obtuse predictions, it dawned on me that the electoral process is in fact a sporting event. CNN's coverage of the night shared many similarities to any SportsCenter episode a viewer might stumble upon during the year. Even the people running for office themselves share eerie similarities to sports participants.

It finally dawned on me that the election really is like a football game. It is very easy to draw comparisons between our most famous contemporary politicians and the many football players and personalities that have appeared in the public eye during my lifetime. Therefore, if you are a football fan like my college friend and you have no idea what you witnessed last night during the election coverage, fear not, for I will translate the events into football-oriented detail that all sports fans can follow.

President George H.W. Bush (playing the role of Raiders Owner Al Davis)

On Election Night the President sustained a huge blow to his plan of action for his last two years in office when the Democrats won control of the House of Representatives. In addition, President Bush finds himself tied to a war that is spiraling out of control and a questionable economy. After 9/11/2001 President Bush rode the coattails of public and Congressional support to greatness, only to see this greatness erode due to an element out of his control: time.

This synopsis easily draws a comparison to Al Davis. Like Bush, Davis is definitely passed his prime (anyone who saw him in his Monday Nigh Football Skybox against the Seahawks will agree). After leading the Raiders to football greatness in the first half of his tenure as owner - including three Super Bowl victories - Davis' Raiders have not won a Super Bowl since 1984. In addition, the once fiery and active Davis has had to take a backseat due to aging and health issues, just as Bush has taken a backseat in policy due to the Iraq War. Time has taken its toll on Davis' aphorism "Commitment to Excellence," just as time has taken its toll on Bush's slogan of "Stay the Course". Times has taken its toll on both men, but if you cannot understand how the nation now views Bush just take a look, as a football fan, at how you view Al Davis.

Newly Appointed Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) (playing the role of Dallas Quarterback Tony Romo)

For the last six months there have been many discussions about what might be in store for Nancy Pelosi if the Republicans lost power in the House. Most pundits believe that American citizens were concerned that the Government was not doing all it could to affect change in American society. As a result, leadership will change in the House. Pelosi, a woman who has attempted to emerge into the national limelight in the last few years but has garnered little attention, is finally where she wanted to be: in the national spotlight. The onus is now on her to help change the course of Congressional policy over the next two years.

Like Pelosi, Tony Romo has been thrown into a position that he (like any other backup quarterback) desires to be in. The Cowboys, like the national government over the last few years, have not performed the way their fans expected them too. As a result, a change in leadership was needed. Drew Bledsoe represented the Republican leadership: experienced yet largely ineffective in the eyes of Cowboy fans. Romo represents Democratic leadership, highlighted by Nancy Pelosi: the voice of a different course of action in the NFC East.

Senator Hilary Clinton (D-NY) (playing the role of New York Giants Quarterback Eli Manning)

Senator Clinton has emerged as one of the most popular senators in one of the most politically important states in the United States. Now that she has secured this status, pundits have begun to ask if she will rise to her calling as a presidential candidate in the 2008 Election. Clinton is fortunate in that she comes from a politically strong family background – her husband is former President Bill Clinton. Thus, her statehood and her family connections make her a rising star in the political world.

If Senator Clinton gazed into a football mirror she would see Eli Manning's reflection in the glass. Like Clinton, Manning is a rising star on a rising team in the league. In addition, both stars share the spotlight in New York. Furthermore, while Clinton both shares the spotlight with her husband Bill and tries to steal some of it from him, Eli shares the spotlight with and is currently trying to steal some of it from his brother, Peyton Manning. Clinton in many ways carries the weight of her party's presidential race in 2008 on her shoulders, just as Manning carries much of the Giants' Super Bowl hopes on his shoulders.

Senator Lincoln Chaffee (R-RI) (playing the role of Indianapolis Quarterback Peyton Manning)

Senator Chaffee achieved his greatness in a small state because of his name: Chaffee. The Chaffees are to Rhode Island what the Kennedys are to Massachusetts: a political dynasty. Chaffee has never faced much of a challenge in his home state politically, and as a result has been able to chart a unique pro-choice, pro-gay rights, anti-war course as a Republican Senator in a liberal state. However, once Chaffee was challenged, in this case by Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse, he choked. Despite his ability to reach out to Republican and Democrats, his party affiliation led to his political collapse in Rhode Island in this election.

Like Chaffee, Peyton Manning was fortunate when he entered the league because he already had a name associated with NFL success. Peyton's father, Archie Manning, is by far the greatest quarterback in the history of the New Orleans Saints. Like Chaffee, Manning has ridden his bloodline to great success in the NFL to this point in his career through the use of unique play-calling and audibling at the line of scrimmage. However, whenever the pressure has been on Manning to succeed on his "Election Nights" (i.e. the postseason) he has failed. Not even his name has helped him succeed in the playoffs, and it is this failure that is preventing him from entering the class of all-time great NFL leaders.

Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) (playing the role of former Cincinnati Bengals Quarterback Boomer Esiason)

Senator Santorum is currently the third highest-ranking Republican in the Senate. Santorum comes from a relatively powerful political state in Pennsylvania and has achieved celebrity status in the state. He has been rumored over the last few months as being a possible presidential candidate for the Republican Party in 2006. Despite all of this optimism, Santorum's star fell from the political sky on Election Night when he lost his Senate seat to Democrat Bob Casey. Santorum, now that his place in American politics has taken a huge hit this week, must search for a new place in politics in the next year just as he came so close to becoming an elite political figure in the country.

No football player, past or present, mirrors Santorum better than Boomer Esiason. Esiason was undoubtedly one of the top five quarterbacks of the late 1980s and early 1990s, in a class of his own below Montana, Elway and Marino but above all the rest. In addition, Esiason fell just short of achieving football immortality in Super Bowl XXXIII. Ultimately, Esiason never won a Super Bowl and never garnered the same fame as his three aforementioned contemporaries as he finished his career with the Jets and the Cardinals, just as Santorum never achieved the fame he seemed destined for in the Senate.

Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) (playing the role of former Denver Broncos Quarterback John Elway)

Senator Lieberman has been criticized in the past for not winning a major election. He failed to earn a ticket to the White House while running alongside Presidential Candidate Al Gore in 2000. In 2004 Lieberman could not win his party's nomination for the presidential race. Last winter, Lieberman lost the Democratic primary in his own state to challenger Ned Lamont! Despite these slip-ups, Lieberman used his political expertise and campaign craft to guide himself to victory on Election Night 2006. Even though some people criticized Lieberman, the majority of Connecticut citizens realized he was best man to represent the state in Congress and quickly cast Lamont aside.

Like Lieberman, John Elway drew much criticism early in his career for many failures while in the national spotlight. Elway was able to bring the Broncos to three Super Bowls in the 1980s but lost all three games and began to draw the ire of critics as "not being able to win the Big One". Despite these failures, the people of Colorado never gave up on him and, like Lieberman in Connecticut, Elway ultimately came out on top when he needed to. Elway's last two Super Bowls ended up as Bronco victories, casting aside all the criticism he faced earlier in his career about his performance under pressure.

Senatorial Candidate Ned Lamont (D-CT) (playing the role of former NFL linebacker Brian Bosworth)

Ned Lamont was the symbol of hope for the Democratic Party in the end of 2005 when he knocked off Joe Lieberman in the Connecticut Democratic Primary and earned his party's support for the 2006 election. Lamont hitched his political wagon to the Iraq War, criticizing Lieberman for supporting the war and garnering attention as a result. However, by Election Day 2006 voters in Connecticut saw through Lamont's empty campaign promises and showed their support for the sure thing in Lieberman.

Brian Bosworth was the Ned Lamont of the NFL in the late 1980s. Heavily-hyped coming out of the University of Oklahoma, "The Boz" was the drafted by Seattle in 1987 and offered an incredible $11 million contract. However, much like how Lamont was blindsided by reality, The Boz was blindsided by Bo Jackson on Monday Night Football in that same season. A shoulder injury, likely caused by his steroid problems, caused Bosworth to retire after only three years in the league. Unfortunately it appears as if Lamont's tenure in the public limelight will barely last half the amount of time as Bosworth's.

Gubernatorial Candidate Lynn Swann (R-PA) (playing the role of former NFL Quarterback Heath Schuler) and
Newly-Elected Representative Heath Schuler (D-NC) (playing the role of former Pittsburgh Steelers Wide Receiver Lynn Swann)

Lynn Swann was an NFL Hall of Fame Wide Receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers who won four Super Bowls in the 1970s. Heath Schuler was a Heisman-trophy-winning quarterback at the University of Tennessee whose pro career is largely considered a huge flop. Despite the differences in their professional football performances, Swann and Schuler switched roles politically on Election Night. Swann, like Schuler in the NFL, received lots of hype for his gubernatorial campaign at the beginning of 2006; however this hype quickly fizzled out when Swann faced real political pressure as Election Day neared. Schuler, like Swann in the NFL, exhibited greatness throughout his campaign and used his unique political talents (combining Democratic candidacy with a Republican platform) to easily defeat his competition.

There you have it: a football-fan's guide to the 2006 Election. If you still do not understand what happened Tuesday night, don't worry – the election is over and the Giants and the Bears play Sunday night!

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