American voters love their sporting events as much as politicians love the American sports fans’ votes.
You think sitting presidents invite championship teams to the White House for free jerseys?
That’s why it’s no surprise that Democratic presidential front-runner John Kerry and Republican President George Bush keep chalking up appearances at sports events.
Kerry, who played hockey, lacrosse and soccer at Yale, recently hit the ice to play a charity hockey with a jersey that had “Kerry ’04” on the back.
Bush, once part owner of the Texas Rangers, invited New England quarterback Tom Brady to the State of the Union address, then made a notable appearance at the Daytona 500. His first round of political ads also will reportedly run on Fox Sports Net, ESPN and The Golf Channel.
But while Bush and Kerry seek the sports world’s warm spotlight, real athletes running for public office already benefit from their own star power.
“If they become of legendary status, like Tom Osborne in Nebraska or Jim Bunning in Kentucky, they can almost write their ticket to the U.S. Congress because of their fame,” said Douglas Noverr, chairman of the department of Writing, Rhetoric and American Cultures at Michigan State University. Here are some notable player politicos:
Bill Bradley: The Princeton All-American helped lead the New York Knicks to two NBA championships, then served as a Democratic senator from New Jersey from 1978-1997. Unsuccessful in bid for president in 2000.
Jim Bunning: After a 17-year baseball career, the Hall of Famer was elected to Congress as a Republican representing Kentucky in 1986 and then to the Senate in 1998.
Jack Kemp: The Buffalo Bills quarterback won AFL championships in 1964 and 1965, then represented New York for 18 years in Congress. A Republican candidate for president in 1988 and Bob Dole’s running mate in 1996.
Steve Largent: A 14-season wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks was Republican representative to Congress from Oklahoma from 1994-2001. In 2002, Oklahoma voters blocked the Hall of Famer’s bid for governor.
Tom McMillen: An All-America center at Maryland who also played for the Atlanta Hawks and Washington Bullets from 1975-1986, he served as a Democrat from Maryland in Congress from 1987-1993.
Wilmer “Vinegar Bend” Mizell: After 11 years pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets, the southpaw served six years in Congress as a Republican from North Carolina, beginning in 1968.
Tom Osborne: Before being elected to Congress in 2000 as a Republican from Nebraska the football coach led the Cornhuskers to three national championships.
J.C. Watts: The Oklahoma quarterback, who led his team to Orange Bowl wins in 1980 and 1981, was elected a Republican representative from Oklahoma in 1994 and served for eight years.
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Edited by Chris Malcolm (ccmalcolm@tribune.com) and Chris Courtney (cdcourtney@tribune.com)
