The Stars in Sports Come Out to Shine in Politics
May 10th 2010 13:41
We are seeing an increasing number of athletes enter into the political realm. Just this morning, Jay Feely, place kicker for the Arizona Cardinals was on Fox News as a commentator. He had an amazing grasp on politics, including events before his time.
Athletes who are involved in politics are not a totally new concept. To name a few, Bill Bradley of NY Knicks fame was a senator for many years. Kevin Johnson, former Phoenix Suns player and coach is the mayor of Sacramento, CA. Charles Barkley was thought to be an aspiring political figure in the state of Alabama several years ago. In recent years, Democrat Dave Bing was elected mayor of DetroitYour text goes here, a city that loved him during his Hall of Fame career with the Pistons.
Now, there is Chris Dudley whom I vividly remember as the worst free throw shooter ever; even worse than Shaquille O’Neal. Dudley is running for governor in the state of Oregon. Competition , strategy and individual face-offs are not new to him as he battled names such as Ewing, Robinson, and O’Neal for sixteen years on the hardwood.
Dudley has an important commodity in Oregon which is name recognition after playing for the Portland Trailblazers for six years. He has two opponents in the GOP primary to be held May 18th, both of whom are more traditional, mainstream candidates leaving him as the lone outsider. He is receiving criticism for being “less than up to speed” on many of the key issues and rather than giving a definitive answer to questions, he will frequently respond with, “I am open to that.” However, that could serve as an asset in a year when Republicans are being assailed as obstructionists.
Jon Runyan is running for a congressional seat In New Jersey with the same determination and competitive spirit that helped him become an All Pro with the Philadelphia Eagles. Clint Didier, a former NFL tight end who is now an alfalfa farmer, is running for the U.S. Senate in Washington State. Another former NBA center, Shawn Bradley, is running for a seat in the Utah Legislature.
Interestingly, many athletes who become politically active have as their platform conservative Republican values, yet the lifestyles of most pro athletes is any but conservative. They adhere to mainstream Republican positions such as free enterprise, lower taxes and limited government.
Not only is Dudley running for governor, many well known sport figures are standing in tangible support of him, especially with financial contributions. Former Trail Blazer Terry Porter is on his finance committee and he has received donations from NBA Commissioner David Stern, Nike founder Phil Knight and former sports agent Daniel Fegan.
One thing that an athlete brings to the table like no other “rookie” candidate has the ability to do, is name recognition which usually serves to the advantage of the incumbents. Winning in a liberal Democratic leaning state like Oregon will be difficult for any Republican, but Dudley has played for some underdog NBA teams over the years and he has learned some valuable lessons from those experiences that he believes will help him in this race. He said, "If you win three games in a row, you're a hero. If you lose three games in a row, you're a bum. The one who succeeds is the one who realizes he's neither, who works hard and does the best he can and doesn't let himself get too high or too low."
Athletes who are involved in politics are not a totally new concept. To name a few, Bill Bradley of NY Knicks fame was a senator for many years. Kevin Johnson, former Phoenix Suns player and coach is the mayor of Sacramento, CA. Charles Barkley was thought to be an aspiring political figure in the state of Alabama several years ago. In recent years, Democrat Dave Bing was elected mayor of DetroitYour text goes here, a city that loved him during his Hall of Fame career with the Pistons.
Now, there is Chris Dudley whom I vividly remember as the worst free throw shooter ever; even worse than Shaquille O’Neal. Dudley is running for governor in the state of Oregon. Competition , strategy and individual face-offs are not new to him as he battled names such as Ewing, Robinson, and O’Neal for sixteen years on the hardwood.
Dudley has an important commodity in Oregon which is name recognition after playing for the Portland Trailblazers for six years. He has two opponents in the GOP primary to be held May 18th, both of whom are more traditional, mainstream candidates leaving him as the lone outsider. He is receiving criticism for being “less than up to speed” on many of the key issues and rather than giving a definitive answer to questions, he will frequently respond with, “I am open to that.” However, that could serve as an asset in a year when Republicans are being assailed as obstructionists.
Jon Runyan is running for a congressional seat In New Jersey with the same determination and competitive spirit that helped him become an All Pro with the Philadelphia Eagles. Clint Didier, a former NFL tight end who is now an alfalfa farmer, is running for the U.S. Senate in Washington State. Another former NBA center, Shawn Bradley, is running for a seat in the Utah Legislature.
Interestingly, many athletes who become politically active have as their platform conservative Republican values, yet the lifestyles of most pro athletes is any but conservative. They adhere to mainstream Republican positions such as free enterprise, lower taxes and limited government.
Not only is Dudley running for governor, many well known sport figures are standing in tangible support of him, especially with financial contributions. Former Trail Blazer Terry Porter is on his finance committee and he has received donations from NBA Commissioner David Stern, Nike founder Phil Knight and former sports agent Daniel Fegan.
One thing that an athlete brings to the table like no other “rookie” candidate has the ability to do, is name recognition which usually serves to the advantage of the incumbents. Winning in a liberal Democratic leaning state like Oregon will be difficult for any Republican, but Dudley has played for some underdog NBA teams over the years and he has learned some valuable lessons from those experiences that he believes will help him in this race. He said, "If you win three games in a row, you're a hero. If you lose three games in a row, you're a bum. The one who succeeds is the one who realizes he's neither, who works hard and does the best he can and doesn't let himself get too high or too low."
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