Members of Congress Should Emulate Professional Athletes

Many of us watched the Super Bowl spectacle yesterday and aside from the New Orleans Saints thunderous victory over a favored Colts team we may have dismissed the event as another game. However, if we examine the game and the coaches and players we can learn something that our politicians in Congress fail to grasp. Regardless of team partisanship and the intense fan loyalty to one team or the other all fans were able to accept the outcome and cheer for the sport of professional football. Peyton Manning the quarterback of the losing Colts congratulated the Saints and their team and accepted the fact that the Saints outplayed them. He accepted the Saints team and praised them for their play.

Regardless of the distress felt by the loss by one side, all players accepted the outcome and will continue to work hard for their teams and the professional sport of football. Winning and losing is an inherent part of all professional sports. Yet the losers and winners alike accept and respect their opponents and following each game their bond as players strengthens and helps make the professional football game more than a game. All professional sports today are color blind, and all religious beliefs are accepted. Since the days of Jackie Robinson when professional baseball was first integrated by Branch Rickey professional sports in the USA have led all other businesses and government institutions in the elimination of racial segregation.

Todays professional sports teams consist of players who excel in their respective sports regardless of their color or lack thereof, their religions or lack thereof, their intellect or lack thereof, their political leaning or neutrality, or any other trait that you select except for their athletic abilities. They are professional athletes whose purpose is to help their team win. Losing takes place every game, as does winning, and the outcome does not tear the sport asunder and the professional athletes remain bonded to their team and their opponents as well. This bond for team and opposition alike exemplifies the respect that the players have for one another and for their chosen profession. Yes, winning is the ultimate purpose of all professional athletes, but losing is inevitable and losers do not carry animosity for their opponents. Contrarily, admiration and respect for the victorious opponent, although not always voiced, is inherent in the make up of all dedicated professional athletes.

Today our country is torn apart by political actions in Congress and throughout our population that, unlike professional sports, is considered normal behavior. Could any professional athlete or sport survive very long if hate and degrading your opponent resulted after every event. The outcome would be chaos and the inevitable decline of the profession. Such is the reality in our country since the infestation of hate and irrational opposition that has infected many politicians, political organizations, and media commentators. Hate and rancor has disabled our country's ability, possibly desire to govern responsibly. Political purpose can and must be fulfilled without hate and rancor among the professional politicians who are elected to govern. They were not elected to spew hate and inflammatory bile. They are hired to work for the American people.

If professional sports athletes were to behave like some members of our Congress, we the fans would stop paying to support the sport. Why do we keep paying to witness the political spectacle that has paralyzed our government? The answer is that we have no choice if we want to avoid jail. The penalty for refusal to pay our taxes, that pays all government workers and elected officials, is much more severe than that for refusing to pay for attending or watching a professional sport event, where the only outcome is that we save the price of admission. However, unless all members of Congress begins to emulate the actions of most professional athletes as they participate in their chosen profession we will will all pay the price for Congress's ineptitude and disrespect for one another, and the American people. We as viewers of the Congressional spectacle must also share the responsibility for the behavior of members of Congress. We members of the public arena cannot be silent while the political gladiators slay one another and take us down the path that causes decline just as the Roman Empire self-destructed. We must insist upon civility and respect even when our beliefs are opposite.

Our country can become one nation again, even with different preferences and purposes as individuals. The time to act is now. Remind your elected representatives that emulating professional athletes is worth doing. The Super Bowl is an example of how professional athletes can bond diverse people even when, as is inevitable, when one side loses the individual game. The bond of professionalism is retained. If enough politicians joined our country's league, even if on different teams, we could still flourish as a country where life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness exists for all. The time to do so is NOW!