The Sport of Politics

Having majored in Sport Management, I often find myself starting conversations with sports fans wearing their team colors out in the community. So many times I am disappointed by how little they actually know about their team. Most of them just wear the shirt, or yell the chants, because everyone else around them does, and they want to be accepted. It is in those moments that I realize how blissfully ignorant society can be. I have heard this sentiment echoed when I speak with people about the political campaigns in Kansas as well. They say they are voting one way because that’s how they’ve always voted, or because their parents vote that way. These individuals know nothing about the candidates who are running besides their names and the smear campaigns their opponents run against them on TV. Most of these individuals can’t give me a reason as to why they support the candidate they do besides “he is a Republican” or “she is a Democrat”.

Recently, I have begun to realize how many similarities there are between politics and sport.

Both sport and politics succeed because millions of passionate people dedicate hours of time, energy, and money to their cause. Both brazen sport fans and empowered activists put signs in their yard, fly flags for their team, and place bumper stickers showing what ‘side’ they stand with. Both have opponents, pitted against them in a ‘good v. evil’ plot line, preparing to enter a ‘battle’ where one will come out triumphant, and the 6th or 12th man can mean the difference between a victory or a defeat.

We as humans tend to find our identities in things like sports or our political affiliations. With this identification comes the urge to look down on others who do not share our passion for the same causes, but if we are not informed about the causes we so vehemently defend, we are just as bad as the people who don’t support them.

We have to change this mindset.

We must hold our friends, colleagues, and constituents accountable for the decisions they are making, because their voice matters. Their vote matters.

This is more than a game.

This is more than a Midterm Election.

This is a historic time in our country’s history. Complacency is no longer an option. Ignorance is no longer an excuse. Our future, and the future of the next generation of human beings, lies in the balance. This election season sets the tone for who our nation will be going forward, and every person who votes plays a part in that history.

Politicians, just like sports teams, cannot succeed without the support of the people in their community, people just like us, and continuing to blindly vote for a candidate without knowing who they are or what they are running for is no longer an acceptable option.

I implore you to go out and educate yourself so you can better understand the platforms your senators, governors, and congressional candidates are running on this election season. And when November 6th comes along, I hope you go to the polls and make an educated vote for the candidate that is best for you, not the one that’s best for your parents, your neighbors, or your friends.