Sports references find their way into politics

People in politics sure love their sports metaphors.

Last night, Michelle Obama’s brother, Craig Robinson, described Sen. Barack Obama in terms of his basketball game: “He’ll take the shot if he’s open. He’s a team player who improves the people around him and he won’t back down from any challenge,” he said.

Earlier this week, Sen. Dick Durbin compared the presidential race to a basketball game. (Click here for the blog entry.)

In preparation for the Democratic National Convention, we heard from a variety speakers, many of whom employed sports factoids and comparisons in their remarks,

Our scholar in residence, Michael Genovese, often opened his lectures with baseball trivia.

“I tell people that I don’t play golf or tennis or anything. I just play politics,” former Democratic National Committee Chairman Dan Fowler said to us on Monday.

There’s even an online game, Fantasy Congress, that is similar to fantasy football or basketball leagues. Participants select congressmen and –women and earn points when their “teams” vote on or pass important pieces of legislation or win news coverage.

It’s no coincidence that people who love politics often love sports as well. Both are competitive, and organizers and observers take great pains to make them entertaining. For example, the producer of this year’s Democratic National Convention also produced the Superbowl.

Before the convention started, we attended forums and participated in small group discussions, many of which dealt with the role of the media in politics. There’s been some disdain about “horserace” coverage: the practice of reporting on polls just for the numbers’ sake, pitting candidate against candidate in a contest no one wins until election day.

This kind of coverage certainly attracts viewers, readers and listeners. Even when the media provide in-depth coverage of issues and candidates’ positions, horserace stories take up a significant chunk of the the national media’s resources. Is this coverage useful?  What can we do to help you stay informed?