“Leaders aren’t born they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work.”
–Vince Lombardi
I hear some people compare the 2 presidential candidates to some of the greatest leaders our country has seen and I can’t help but cringe. I hear people compare Barack Obama’s public speaking abilities to those of John F. Kennedy. I hear people speak of John McCain’s character and military background and they say he’s in the mold of Dwight D. Eisenhower. I’m not sure how accurate either one of these comparisons are, and I’m sure as hell not about to make this a forum to discuss political views. What I do know is this: these comparisons don’t mean a thing. Each candidate is his own man, with his own sets of strengths and weaknesses.
But hearing people in the political world throw out comparisons so easily sparked a thought. I hear the same thing in the sports world on message boards and sports radio—who does Player X remind you of? Anze Kopitar is going to be the next Mats Sundin? Is LeBron James more like Magic Johnson or Oscar Robertson? Of course, all of these have flaws. Each up and coming player has his own skill set and his own package that he brings to the table. But what if we combine these two ideas? If we took the candidates and threw them into the sports world, who would they remind us of?
Hockey
Barack Obama: Sidney Crosby. Every league has their golden boy and the NHL has Sidney Crosby. There’s a website that “affectionately” refers to him as Gary’s Baby Boy (See Entry #29). Well, Obama is the political world’s version of Crosby: he’s the golden boy.
John McCain: Chris Chelios. I think they both started their careers in the 60’s. They’re not old; they’re “experienced.” I’m pretty sure my Grandparents would like both of these guys if they weren’t so old. Thank you, don’t forget to tip your waitress. I’ll be here all week.
Basketball
Barack Obama: Greg Oden. Out of Ohio State, one of Oden’s best qualities was his maturity for his age. He’s extremely polished with the media. Both are blessed with enormous auricles (Think Jordan Farmar). Oh, and he hasn’t played a minute in the NBA. So they have that in common too!
John McCain: Jason Kidd. He’s “tested” and he’s on a team called the Mavericks. Over the summer, he played for Team USA. Yeah, this is pretty much a slam dunk (no pun intended).
Baseball
Barack Obama: Dustin Pedroia. Two years ago, no one knew who this guy was. All of the sudden, he burst on the scene and has a VERY vocal and VERY loyal following. Should we start referring to Obama supporters as “The Nation?” I think that’s what elections are for, right?
(Honorary mention–Ozzie Guillen. Both represent the Southside of Chicago. Neither are traditional by any measure. Both have had enormous success early in their careers.)
John McCain: Mike Mussina. Conventional wisdom says that their best days have passed them by. If the election was 2 years ago, McCain might be in a better position. Similarly, if Mussina has the same stuff he had 2 years ago, people wouldn’t consider him washed up. His stats say that he’s still one of the best options (20 wins, 200 innings, 3.37 ERA), but perception is that you could do a lot better.
Football
Barack Obama: Donovan McNabb. Both are likeable guys with ties to Chicago. If you ask Rush Limbaugh, they’re both probably in the position that they’re in because of their race. This just in: Rush Limbaugh is an idiot. Maybe people should focus on how both of these guys are simply great at what they do, regardless of their ethnicity.
John McCain: Brett Favre. He is the guy that’s been around forever. He’s made a living at making his own way—being his own man. He’s often times unconventional, which leads to mixed results. When he’s hot, everyone loves him. When he’s not, he looks like he makes too many mistakes to compete. All of that applies for both of them.
Other Sports
Barack Obama: Tiger Woods. The media loves him: He’s polished, well rehearsed, and has motivated masses of people to their world. Whether it’s getting people to the driving range or getting people to the voting booth, both are mobilizing people like no one has seen before.
John McCain: Dale Earnhardt Sr. Something about Sen. McCain just seems to scream NASCAR to me! I can’t explain it, I can’t defend it, it’s simply a word association thing. Maybe it’s because from Martinsville to Talladega, it’s redder than a football crowd in Lincoln, Nebraska. Whatever the case, I just see John McCain envisioning himself as The Intimidator.
When look at the two candidates through this lens, its easy to come to my logical conclusion: Yeah… I’m ready for the elections to be over.
So who am I missing?
Matt Reitz is the Editor-In-Chief here at ViewFromMySeats.com and former NHL Writer for ProHockeyTalk on NBCSports. When he’s not shoving a mic in the face of NHLers or explaining why home teams should wear white, he’s usually trying to figure out what song to play next on his iPod. It’s a never-ending job.
