It’s not unusual to use sports metaphors in politics. Or really in anything. And if you like your politics laden with sports imagery, then you will enjoy the California election to fill Dianne Feinstein’s US Senate Seat. That’s because after last night’s open primary, one of the two final candidates is former major league all-star Steve Garvey, who is best known for his time playing for the LA Dodgers and San Diego Padres. Garvey, who’s never run for public office and has what could generously be called a thin resume in public service, is running as a Republican and finished just behind democratic congressman Adam Schiff with nearly a third of the vote, and far ahead of other democratic hopefuls like Katie Porter and Barbara Lee. Which means Garvey and Schiff will spar for the next several months until the heavy weight title match in November.
Throughout the campaign so far, Garvey has leaned pretty heavily on his sports experience and used that for rhetorical flourish. Here’s a sample from a victory speech last night, where Garvey said, “what you all are feeling tonight is what it's like to hit a walk-off home run. Kind of like San Diego in 1984.” And trying to keep his supporters fired up for the general election, he announced, “keep in mind, this is the first game of a doubleheader.” This has been a staple in pretty much every public appearance. Lines like, “I never took the field for democrats or republicans, independents, conservatives, but I played for all the people, and now I’m running for all the people.” Expect to hear way, way more of this, as much you’d like not to.
Despite Garvey’s name recognition as a former baseball player running in his home state, most pundits recognize that Garvey is exactly the candidate Schiff wanted in the finals, a high seed who somehow made it to the championship game. That’s why it’s believed Schiff spent a ton of money naming Garvey in ads while ignoring his other competitors. Garvey may be a veteran ballplayer, but he’s a rookie politician – and seemingly a bad one at that. And trying to win a statewide election as a Republican in California is like a little league club trying to win a World Series. Beyond that, Garvey has more than a few skeletons in his closet, including a period in his life he refers to as a “midlife disaster” where he had more infidelity issues than the cast of Below Deck. So if you enjoy Steve Garvey’s witty sports analogies, I suggest you fill up now.
In case you want a reference point, Garvey would not be the only famous athletic figure serving in the US Senate. Former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville is a first term senator from Alabama and has nearly single handedly shut down the US Military over his disdain for gay rights and can’t seem to offer a coherent explanation of what IVF is. He had equally dubious credentials going into the race and at best a rudimentary understanding of how the federal government works. But Tuberville has the good fortune of running in Alabama. So unless Nick Saban decides to throw his hat in the next election, I’d guess Tommy would remarkably get a second term.
It would be unfair to say that sports celebrity is a disqualifying characteristic in being a competent elected official. People like Bill Bradley and Jack Kemp did quite well in office, and others like J.C. Watts and Heath Schuler have fared okay. I’d say less for people like Tom Osborne and Lynn Swann, who lost his run at Pennsylvania governor. But I would push back at the idea that being a great athlete or even coach makes you more prepared for office, especially in a role as complex as US Senator. Star athletes love to say things like, the skills I used on the football field are the same ones I’ll use to fix Washington. And for some reason, people seem to buy it. I bet you’d be less excited if they said they’d use their gridiron skills to do your open-heart surgery or their basketball IQ to build the bridge you’re driving over. Yet somehow overseeing the complex functions of the federal government requires no actual experience, just some amalgamation of soft skills that are easily attained on the field and court. I suppose it’s just another example of the death of expertise.
That said, I wouldn’t let the prospect of a Garvey term in office worry you too much. As he’d say himself, we’re just starting the second half.
Keith Strudler is the director of the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. You can follow him at @KeithStrudler
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