Trying to Jump to the Majors Without Playing Little League
Pundits and former players/coaches toying with running for public office show little concern for policy and legislation. They just want the spotlight.
By Carron J. Phillips
County commissioners are essential. Mayors, city council members, and secretaries of state are, too.
Apparently, those positions are beneath Michelle Tafoya.
The former sideline reporter is just the latest sports figure to consider a foray into politics. Much like her peers, her apparent disregard for public service at the local level is not only concerning, but it reeks of arrogance, too.
Reports indicate that Tafoya has met with Republican leadership as she weighs a decision about running for Senate in Minnesota next year. Former NBA player Royce White has already thrown his hat in the race and will be one of Tafoya’s opponents in the primary if she opts in.
This is the part where I inform you that White has already unsuccessfully tried his hand at running for the House and Senate, and that Tafoya doesn’t even have experience in covering politics. Just two people who believe they can succeed in a field they’ve never navigated, relying solely on their self-confidence. It’s the political version of an first-year intern thinking he could do an NFL sideline reporter’s job in his sleep, or a middle school referee declaring he could have been a first-round draft pick if he was 6’8”.
Delusional ambitions become problematic when the governance of citizens is at stake, particularly in turbulent times. This is how you wind up with a Defense secretary who texts war plans, or an Education secretary who doesn’t know about the Tulsa Race Massacre or the difference between artificial intelligence and steak sauce.
This year alone, at least five people from the sports world have considered running for office. A reality TV star occupying the Oval Office—not once, but twice—has undeniably contributed to the trivialization of politics and the devaluation of public service as an elected official.
In April, former NFL kicker Jay Feely announced that he would be running for Arizona’s 5th Congressional District seat in next year’s midterm election. A few months later, former Tennessee head football coach Derek Dooley began his campaign for a U.S. Senate seat in Georgia. That was followed by former major leaguer Mark Teixeira’s announcement that he was running for a U.S. House seat in Texas. When former Auburn men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl retired in September, he denied rumors that he was going to run for Senate in Alabama. And this month, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum revealed that he also won’t be running for Senate in Alabama in a move that would have had him vying for the seat now held by Tommy Tuberville, a former college football head coach.
Here’s the kicker: Everyone mentioned above who is either running or allegedly considered running is a Republican. The party that wanted everyone to “stick to sports” has proved time and again that the directive was solely for people they didn’t agree with—namely, Black athletes and Democrats.
Additionally, this list doesn’t include Stephen A. Smith and his presidential aspirations, as his irresponsible political commentary has become a chronic issue. “But the question is, what does Stephen A. Smith believe in at the end of the day? He’s been very vocal criticizing the Democratic Party. What positions does he hold? What does he believe in?” asked Bill Whalen, a former media consultant and research fellow at the Hoover Institution, earlier this year.
“The list goes on. You just don’t know, so my advice to any Democrat looking at this is: before you become a Stephen A Smith supporter, give him a questionnaire and have him fill it out and see what the answers are,” he added.
Ironically, all the individuals named here have had or still have careers in which they worked diligently to reach the tops of their professions before considering or dabbling in politics. They understand the value of hard work and the importance of not skipping steps. Yet, now they want to do exactly that, bypassing the foundational experience of local politics, demonstrating how the respect for holding public office has diminished.
“Our children should learn the general framework of their government and then they should know where they come in contact with the government, where it touches their daily lives and where their influence is exerted on the government,” Eleanor Roosevelt once said. “It must not be a distant thing, someone else’s business, but they must see how every cog in the wheel of a democracy is important and bears its share of responsibility for the smooth running of the entire machine.”
Before actor Ronald Reagan became president, he served as the governor of California. By the time pro wrestler Jesse Ventura was Minnesota’s governor, he’d already been a mayor. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger was smart enough to chair a presidential council and marry into the most famous political family in American history before he became governor of California.
From war heroes to a Black dude from Hawaii with a funny name, this country has never had a shortage of ambitious Americans who’ve aspired to hold public office. In the past, this often required years of experience in roles that provided valuable leadership skills. Nowadays, it seems more like a fast track to “celebrity.” When you look at the ones who seem hellbent on cutting the line, they often belong to a party that was founded on preserving tradition, yet they unconventionally pursue their goals.
Carron J. Phillips is an award-winning journalist who writes on race, culture, social issues, politics, and sports. He hails from Saginaw, Michigan, and is a graduate of Morehouse College and Syracuse University.
What scares me about so many of these people, especially Stephen A. Smith (his interview with Bill Maher proved that this applies to both of them), is that they don't have a clue about what they don't know, but this ignorance causes them to think they are so much smarter than everyone.