Campaign Trail Not The Place For Sports, Politics To Mix
Posted
Mark Howe-mhowe@timesuniononline.com
Brian France, the CEO of NASCAR, endorsed a presidential candidate yesterday. I’m not saying which one in this space because it shouldn’t matter to anyone else but Brian France. In fact, why should anyone really care which entertainer or entrepreneur is supporting? Last time I checked, France’s presidental vote will count the same as mine. One reason I quit going to concerts was it seemed like I had to sit through a speech for a candidate, cause or ideal. Even when I agreed with the speaker, I didn’t pay for the tickets to hear that. I came for the music. Another reason is those tickets began to cost entirely too much money, but I’m all about the supply and demand; if a performer can get $200 a seat for a performance, more power to them. They just ain’t getting it from me. The whole endorsement thing is getting out of hand, but if there were no power or influence involved, it wouldn’t happen. That’s somewhere between sad and pathetic. The place for sports and politics to mix is in the stands, or more accurately in this day and age, a luxury box. I’ve been firmly convinced for a long time now that if politicians of differing parties would sit down at a ball game over a hot dog and a cold drink, and get to know each other, more things would get worked out and our country would move forward again. Spending time with someone is the best way to figure out that disagreements with someone shouldn’t automatically make them an enemy. I’ve had some real knock-down, drag-out debates with people who I love very much; some of them are family and others are like members of the household. After we get to the point where there’s no more points or counterpoints to make, we shake hands, hug and occasionally split a plate of fancy nachos. We shouldn’t care what celebrities think. They’re entitled to their opinions, sure, and certainly they have the same freedom of speech as I. But I don’t avoid certain movies because I disagree with an actor’s politics. I understand that a big chunk of the admission price goes to that actor, and they might use the money to help finance a candidate with whom I strongly disagree. That’s fine, they earned the money and what they do with it isn’t any of my business. In my time as a voter, I’ve heard a lot of stupid reasons why someone voted the way they did – the worst of which was, “for an old guy, he’s hot!” It’s my prayer that someone out there won’t say “I’m voting for that guy because the guy who runs NASCAR likes him.” Or the exact opposite of it. Instead, I’d encourage people to vote for the candidate that best fits what they’d like to see happen. Understand that our government, by design, is set up so no one person can make any one thing happen by themselves. Sports is big business, even on the amateur level. Business and politics are seen together more often than not. But I’m going to do my due diligence, and make up my own mind, regardless of who’s endorsed by whom. Sports tends to unite people of different ideals, and it should always stay that way.
