11 changes in sports that predicted our political train wreck

Sports has changed a lot in the past half-century or so, and so has politics.

When I started looking at just how they’ve both changed, I realized we could have predicted the breakdown of our political system just by paying attention to what’s happened in the world of sport.

Fifty years ago, athletics were still largely about competing; now, they’re about winning. And those are two very different things.

The same transformation has taken place in politics, where the “loyal opposition” has become the treacherous “enemy.”

Consider how much the emphasis has shifted on the playing field over the past 50 years.

1.

Then, college athletics were about student-athletes, with “student” coming first. Now it’s all about how much money universities can make, and how athletes can prepare for the pros — whether they attend classes or not.

The same thing has happened in politics, thanks in part to the Citizens United decision. Politicians spend as much or more time raising money as they do actually governing.

2.

Then, amateurs competed in the Olympics, period. Now, the Olympic basketball tournament looks like an NBA all-star tourney with the rosters shuffled around.

In politics, governing was once viewed as public service. Now it’s mostly about ego gratification and money-grubbing.

3.

Then, players shook hands and complimented each other after games. Now, it’s all about trash talk. There was just one Muhammad Ali back then; now, even chumps think they can talk like the champ.

In politics, “my friend across the aisle” has been replaced with “that evil spawn of Satan who wants to undermine my freedom and destroy everything this country stands for.”

4.

Then, parents took their kids to Little League games to encourage them and help them learn how to be good sports. Now, the parents are such bad sports themselves that the kids learn to follow in their footsteps — going in the wrong direction.

Politicians, meanwhile, spend more time yelling at their opponents in an attempt to discredit them than trying to accomplish anything meaningful themselves.

5.

Pro teams once played in college gyms and stadiums. Now, teams demand a new $5 billion facility every 20 years, with cities paying the tab.

Just like voters are asked to pay billions to help elect their favorite candidates to office.

6.

Then, bowl games and stadiums were named after teams (Yankee Stadium) or in honor of important people (Jack Murphy Stadium). Now, they’re named for corporations who pay for the privilege.

Just like many of those same corporations buy votes with their campaign contributions.

7.

Then, college football teams played in regional conferences with classic rivalries. The emphasis was on tradition. Now, they play in far-flung nearly national groupings that put a premium on power (and money), not history or competition. The name “Power Five” says it all: The fewer teams are part of the elite, the smaller the financial pie and the bigger the portions. That’s not competition, it’s a rigged game. And you wonder why Alabama wins so many national championships?

That sounds a lot like the self-perpetuating money engine that is the two-party system.

8.

Then, modesty and humility were seen as positive attributes. Now, they’re viewed as weaknesses.

And in the halls of government, bellicose politicians who vow to “fight” — regardless of what they’re fighting for — have become more popular than problem-solvers with actual ideas.

9.

Then, sportscasters stayed neutral when they delivered the play-by-play, with the exception of big moments like Bobby Thomson’s “shot heard ’round the world” or George Foreman’s knockout of Joe Frazier. Now, even moderately impressive feats are lauded with the enthusiasm of a traveling preacher at a revival meeting.

Politics has become very much the spectator sport, with every election deemed “the most important of our generation.” We’re assured that “our freedom hangs in the balance” with every vote we cast.

10.

Then, dunks were celebrated as feats of athleticism in their own right. Now, they’re lauded most when they humiliate opponents by “posterizing” them.  

In politics, we used to celebrate when we solved problems. Now, the problems themselves don’t matter as long as people “own the libs.”

11.

There’s always been a tendency of losing teams to blame the ref, but it’s gotten worse over the years, and that has seeped into politics, as well. Pre-emptively. Any election that’s lost is automatically viewed as the result of some imagined fraud, and those that are won must have been clean as a whistle. We’re expected to believe congressional crybabies who claim the election was “rigged” against their national candidate, even though they themselves won on the same ballots cast by the same voters.

But a lot of people do believe them, not because it makes any sense, but because it makes them feel better.

Sports has never been perfect. Dirty play and gambling scandals surfaced from time to time in the past. But the emphasis on winning at the expense of sportsmanship and clean competition has never been as blatant as it has become, and the same can be said in politics. When it doesn’t matter how you win, competition and rules both become meaningless.

Anarchy ensues, and only the strong survive — which means everyone else is screwed.

It’s true in sports, it’s true in politics, and in both instances, it’s happening right before our very eyes.

Stephen H. Provost has written extensively on sports and politics. You can order his books on Amazon.