Jock the Vote by Matt Pellicane

"Jock the Vote"
Gone are the days in which athletes turned a blind eye to politics. In this year's presidential race, we are seeing more athletes endorse either Barack Obama or John McCain. Athletes are also becoming more educated on the issues that surround this year's election, realizing that regardless of their celebrity status, they too will be affected by the outcome of the election.

In a recent article in the September 8th issue of Sports Illustrated, L. Jon Wertheim tackled the issue of where athletes stand in the upcoming election.

Los Angeles Clippers point guard Baron Davis is an avid Obama supporter. Last year, Davis was the host of a fundraiser in which he was able to introduce Sen. Barack Obama to the audience. However, this event was not the first time that Davis had met Obama. Davis traveled to Washington in 2006 to meet with Obama and discuss the limited educational opportunities in the inner city. This is a welcome sight; to see an athlete who is concerned with an issue that does not directly affect him. It is refreshing to see an athlete like Davis who is worried about something other than an endorsement deal or a new contract.

Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling is a devoted McCain supporter. Schilling, who is never at a loss for words, publicly supports McCain through his renowned blog, 38pitches.com. Schilling has also been involved in a few ads for John McCain's campaign. Like Davis, Schilling also played the role of a host for one of John McCain's meetings before the 2008 New Hampshire presidential primary. Schilling introduced McCain, much like Davis did Obama, but Schilling actually remained on stage to answer political questions along with the Republican nominee. From this we can see that Schilling is not just some jock who doesn't know anything outside of sports. Clearly, he must be an educated man if he was able to share the stage and field the same questions as the man who could possibly the next president.

Today, we can see that athletes are becoming more inclined to enter the world of politics. Athletes may be beginning to realize that they can use their celebrity status to endorse a particular candidate. By doing so, they can show their fans a side of them that they normally would never see. The fans could then take it upon themselves to ponder why a particular athlete supports a certain politician. Thus, the fan may soon become educated in politics simply because they saw their favorite player endorsing a specific candidate. When it comes to politics, athletes can assume the role of a fan (for once), and root for their favorite candidate.