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Award-winning columnist Tom Archdeacon — an old-school storyteller in a brand-new venue — writes about sports, the city, southwest Ohio and anything else that catches his fancy… or yours.Home > Blogs > Through the Arch > Archives > 2008 > November > 03 > Entry
blog: Obama and McCain feel embrace of sports
On the eve of Tuesday’s presidential election, here’s one thing that stands out.
Sports and politics in America haven’t been this intertwined in a generation.
Tonight — in their last major chance to appeal to Americans during a much-watched spot on prime-time television — Democratic hopeful Barack Obama and his Republican counterpart, John McCain both will make half-time appearances during the Monday Night Football game between the the Pittsburgh Steelers and the host Washington Redskins.
Earlier today each candidate was to be interviewed separately by MNF half-time anchor Chris “Boomer” Berman and those tapes will be shown at the mid-game intermission. Since Monday Night Football has been averaging 12.2 million viewers this season, the audience will be substantial.
By the way, Obama first appeared on MNF on Dec. 11, 2006, when he opened the broadcast of a game involving his hometown Chicago Bears by poking fun at his upcoming official announcement that he’d run for president.
“I am ready,” Obama said before donning a Bears cap and grinning, “for the Bears to go all the way, baby!”
When it came time for the official nominations, both candidates got them at big sports venues. Obama accepted his at Invesco Field, home of the Denver Broncos, while McCain got his at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center, home of the NHL Minnesota Wild.
In the months that have followed, sports owners, coaches and even pro athletes — too often more comfortable side-stepping politics and throwing their support to either Nike or Reebok, where they can make a buck — have gotten behind either Obama or McCain.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Los Angles Lakers forward Luke Walton, Tiger Woods, LeBron James, Bengals linebacker Dhani Jones, Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker, Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney and long-time Republican Charles Barkley all are supporting Obama.
So are Magic Johnson, Detroit Pistons President Joe Dumars, Penn State QB coach Jay Paterno, Portland Trailblazers big man Greg Oden, Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, Lakers coach Phil Jackson, Phoenix Suns forward Grant Hill, former NFL running backs Marshall Faulk and Emmitt Smith and Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi.
Muhammad Ali posed with Obama on a 2007 cover of Vanity Fair magazine, and was in the audience in August when Obama addressed the Democratic National Convention.
James donated $20,000 to a pro-Obama committee and led a Last Chance Rally for Change last month in Cleveland along with entertainer Jay-Z.
Even Michael Jordan — usually political Milquetoast — has contributed the maximum $2,300 to the Obama Victory Fund.
In turn, McCain’s supporters include John Elway, Troy Aikman, Nolan Ryan, Jack Nicklaus and Richard Petty. Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn and tackle Joe Thomas both took the stage at a rally in northeast Ohio and publicly embraced McCain.
Among McCain’s donors are NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Phoenix Suns chairman Jerry Colangelo, former University of Arizona basketball coach Lute Olson and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
McCain’s biggest athletic supporter has been Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling. The two men have been friends since 2000, when Schilling joined the Arizona Diamondbacks..
The two have worked together on a variety of issues including melanoma — both McCain and Schilling’s wife, Shonda, are survivors of skin-cancer — and the pitcher has been on the campaign stage with the Republican hopeful several times.
One of Obama’s most fervent backers has been veteran NBA center Alonzo Mourning, who last played for the Miami Heat and spent much of the past offseason at rallies and colleges around Florida, registering voters along with former Georgetown teammate Patrick Ewing and encouraging everyone to vote for Obama.
As he told MBCSport.com Ethan Skolnick of NBCSport.com:
“Unfortunately, people are afraid of memorabilia sales, endorsements, political biases, things of that nature. I’m not concerned about that. I’m not afraid to stand up to what I believe in. We live in a country where we have that God-given right.
“It’s up to us as adults to educate our younger people on that right, and to remind them of the people that lost their lives for them to have that right, to make a decision that will dictate their futures. I’m not ashamed to bring up the past, and helping people understand what their future will be.”
This political season several other sports figures have felt the same.
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