Professional Athlete or Politician?

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If you were a professional athlete would you be ‘brave’ enough to endorse a presidential candidiate?  Some would be hesitant, but this article from Sports Business Journal focuses current and retired athletes being more likely to express their political beliefs or even take office themselves.  Our October 11 class session highlighted the connection between politics and sport.  We discussed how athletes like Jesse Ventura, Lynn Swann, Bill Bradley and Tom Osborn have used their past accomplishments to enter the political realm.  This is based on Q-rating, or a measurement of how well-known celebrities and athletes are and how that helps ‘springboard’ into political positions.  The article highlights how that has been a theme in the sport industry and how the impact of endorsements tend to hinder current athletes from taking a political stand. 

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For example, former Boston Red Sox pitcher was fired from ESPN after publicly endorsing George W. Bush during the 2004 presidential election.  Not good, right?  However, using sport to connect to the public and can helping candidates sway votes in in an election.  Good for the candidate, but what about the athlete?  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar noted that his political endorsements did not effect his endorsements and proudly expresses his political views.  The strong connection between government and sport is clearly visible in this article written just months before the 2016 presidential election.  Do you think athletes should be less scrutinized because of their political views? Or should they stick to what they know?    

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2016/08/01/Law-and-Politics/Athletes.aspx?hl=politics&sc=0#.V__FTCN95QQ.email