I have played sports and followed sports all my life, but I am not that keen on using any sports analogy to illustrate a political point. Sports analogies often make sense only to sports-crazed guys—and leave most women and the non-sports-crazed guys scratching their heads. To paraphrase Joe Theismann, you don’t have to be a genius like Norman Einstein to dream up a sports analogy.
Still, there are times when a sports analogy makes perfect sense. For example, in sports, when owners and coaches must choose between bigotry and winning, most of the time they choose to win. Typically, they want to put the best talent on the field or court. That means playing the best athletes, regardless of color or ethnic origin.
Most young people today find it hard to imagine professional sports without black athletes, but if you are as old as I am you remember the times well enough. The transition was anything but easy. In the end, integration substantially improved the teams and the leagues.
How is this relevant to presidential politics? Obviously, it invokes the candidacy of Barack Obama, but it could just as easily invoke Hillary Clinton who represents many millions of female Americans. Though women don't participate in mens' sports, they participate in politics. Why should women be excluded from the presidential sweepstakes? Why, indeed.
Until now, every one of our presidents has been a white guy. Some of us believe it’s time to look beyond the white guy talent pool. Others disagree. As bad as things are now in America, those others are still more comfortable with a white guy in the Oval Office than a black guy or a woman. Making the American "team" better is less important than maintaining the status quo. Decide for yourself why they think the status quo is so peachy.
Here are a few examples from sports history where the desire for success trumped bigotry.
Jackie Robinson, Brooklyn Dodgers—"You can hate a man for many reasons. Color is not one of them"
Before Jackie Robinson broke into Major League Baseball on April 15, 1947, white racists maintained that black players—then called Negroes in polite speech—simply were not good enough to play at the big league level. Seriously. Robinson hit .297, had 175 hits, and stole 29 bases his rookie season, and went on to a 10-year, Hall of Fame career as a Dodger second baseman. He was Rookie of the Year in 1947, National League MVP in 1949, and a six-time National League all star. Once Robinson stripped away the competence objection, the racists were stuck with one thing: bigotry.
The quote above is by Dodger shortstop Pee Wee Reese, a native of Kentucky who never shook hands with a black person before he met Robinson.
George Preston Marshall, Washington Redskins—Burgundy, gold and Caucasian
George Preston Marshall was the long-time owner of the Washington Redskins. He was an ardent segregationist. The Redskins were the last team in professional football to acquire a black player, a receiver named Bobby Mitchell. Because D.C. Stadium was publicly-owned, the U.S. Department of the Interior forced Marshall in 1962 to integrate the team. In 1961, the lily-white Redskins had a 1-12-1 record.
Bill Russell, Boston Celtics—Three at home, four on the road, and five when you’re behind
Back in the 1960s, every black NBA player was familiar with this quip, but I believe Bill Russell was the first to introduce it to the general public. It had to do with how many black players you could put on the court at one time. At a home game, you could only start three black players; on the road, you could start four. If your team fell behind during the game, it was OK to have an all-black lineup.
Marlin Briscoe, Denver Broncos, and James Harris, Buffalo Bills—Integrating a white position
Until 1968, all starters at the quarterback position in the NFL were white. Quarterback was strictly a white position. Marlin Briscoe of the Broncos was the first black quarterback to start an NFL game. A year later, James Harris of the Bills was the first black to start the season at quarterback. Supposedly, no black athlete was intelligent enough to lead a football team.
Check your current NFL rosters. There are plenty of black quarterbacks today. What were we thinking back then?
Al Campanis, Brooklyn Dodgers—Necessities
Finally, there is the sad case of Al Campanis, a friend and former minor-league teammate of Jackie Robinson, and the Dodgers general manager from 1968 to 1987. On the 40th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's first MLB game, Campanis was asked by Ted Koppel on Nightline why there were so few black managers and executives in baseball. Campanis said that blacks "may not have some of the necessities to be, let's say, a field manager, or, perhaps, a general manager" for these positions. He resigned under pressure two days later.
I call it a sad case because by all accounts Campanis was a good baseball man and a decent person—hardly a classic bigot. It just goes to show how racism can be deeply ingrained in even the best of white people.
So you are thinking: What is your point, O.P.?
This is my point: America is the "team," and after eight years of Bush-Cheney-Republican misrule, America is the equivalent of the 1-12-1 Washington Redskins. We suck. It's time for a new general manager, a new coaching staff, and better players. We need more talented people at all levels of government. We need to put our best players on the field.
If we do, we'll get better results.
Obama is not perfect. If elected, he's going to make mistakes. Even the great Jackie Robinson went 0-3 in his first game at Ebbets Field. Still, Obama is a quantum leap better than John McCain who wants to crown his 52 years on the federal payroll with the presidency.
Let's put this kid into the starting lineup and see what he can do. If Obama performs well, as I believe he will, he'll open the door even wider for other blacks, for other ethnic minorities, and for women. And 40 years from now, our children and grandchildren will wonder what the fuss was about.
Feedback:
If you have an opinion about this essay, I would like to hear from you. Let's talk. Contact me at oregonpundit@efn.org. Thanks!



