Looking at politics in the offseason

By Laura Johnson | Dadeville Record

Published Wednesday, November 25, 2009

The college football season is nearing its end, while political races are getting started.

For years I have attended collegiate football games, listened to the talking heads on political news channels and I have even attended a few political speeches and campaign stops. Having observed both football and politics, I couldn’t help but draw a few parallels between the two.

In a football game, like in American politics, you have two opposing sides squaring off. And the members of those two sides are often fiercely opposed to one another, but they actually have quite a bit in common.

Most Americans, whether they are democrats or republicans, want to live in a free society. They just have a few different ideas about how government should operate in that free society that they both want.

Maybe it is just folklore, but it seems that in “the old days” even politicians on opposite sides of the aisle realized this. It seems that their belief in freedom took precedence over partisan politics, at least sometimes.

I believe they called it patriotism.

Football is not that different.

In football, players and fans want just one thing for their team – a win. But, win or lose, they love the game for its unpredictability, the display of power on the field and for the camaraderie of the sport.

But when speaking to some fans of opposing teams, say Alabama and Auburn fans, you might not ever know they shared any common ground. But certainly it hasn’t always been this way.

Once upon a time there were two very legendary coaches in this state: Paul “Bear” Bryant and Ralph “Shug” Jordan. And despite the fact that they were on opposite sides of one of the most celebrated rivalries in college football, they still made time to be friends, at least in the off-season.

I believe that is something called sportsmanship.

Saturday more than 100,000 people will converge on Auburn to watch the annual Iron Bowl and about 12 months later Alabamians who support both political parties will appear at the polls to vote for Alabama’s next governor.

I think that before, after and during the big game and the election we would all do well to follow to remember we share a love of the games, both political and athletic, and to show each other a little respect.

After all the “Bear” and “Shug” found a way to be civil, at least off the field.

Laura Johnson is a staff writer for The Alexander City Outlook.

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