The Politicization of Sports

As you may have heard, former Steeler and Buccaneer offensive lineman Steve Courson died in a woodcutting accident on Friday. Courson was probably best known for admitting that he took steroids, and that they were commonly used in the league.

The Courtier brought home a library copy of Steve Courson's book False Glory a few days ago; I read it yesterday. The impression the book gives is one of a person who wasn't entirely comfortable with who he'd become. The book was written in 1991, so that may have changed. (Maybe it will be reissued, like indicted former Bush administration official Lewis Libby's. There's no bestiality in Courson's book, though.) Steelers radio broadcast team members Tunch Ilkin and Craig Wolfley played for the Steelers around the same time that Courson did; I expect them to have plenty to say about him. They broadcast on WDVE. (Edit: Craig and Tunch did indeed speak well of Courson. Also, here's a link about Courson's post-football life that I neglected to include earlier.)

On "The Sports Reporters" this morning, one of the panelists mentioned talking to Ralph Nader about T.O. Seriously! Nader's take on the situation is that if T.O. is healthy and able to perform, then the consumers (i.e., fans) deserve to be able to see him play. Jesse Jackson has joined in, too. You know what that means — with Nader and Jackson on the other side, right wing bloggers and pundits will start talking about the Eagles' right to hire who they want. In this particular instance, I agree with that.

There was a big discussion of when Terrell Owens became T.O. Steve Young, Owens' QB during his first years in the league, argues that it wasn't the Redemption Catch that caused the personality change; according to him, T.O. was humble for a year after that. The change happened when Young retired and other senior 49ers left the team. The logical conclusion is that Owens went from being a plebe to being an upperclassman when his older teammates left, and went a little power-crazy. Michael "White House" Irvin is still carrying water for T.O. It's too bad that T.O. isn't spending his time talking to the steadier, less controversial Steve Young. Young might actually be able to give T.O. some advice and get him back on track to go somewhere else and be a decent teammate elsewhere. As far as the Eagles go, I suspect that horse has left the barn, unless Owens is able to obtain a legal remedy. This arbitrator's history of reducing suspensions has been widely reported.

An interesting tidbit from the 11/14/2005 Sports Illustrated: last year's Heisman also-ran (also-threw?) Kyle Orton, who's now starting at QB for the Chicago Bears, hopes to go into politics after his NFL career. "I'll probably go back to my home state [Iowa] and do something in that field. My father's career was in politics, so that has influenced me. [Byron Orton was in Iowa government for 30 years, retiring as labor commissioner last April.] I majored in history in college, and I definitely want to go to law school when I'm done playing."

It's not uncommon for former athletes, like other celebrities — the Gubernator, Ronald Reagan, and Sonny Bono all spring to mind — to pursue politics. Lynn Swann is contemplating a run for Pennsylvania's gubernatorial office; Dwayne Woodruff was recently elected to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. There's also Byron White, who became a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Sports Illustrated has a gallery of a few other athletes turned politicians.

This isn't a strictly American phenomenon. An aerobics instructor was elected to parliament in Afghanistan. Soccer player George Weah appears to have been defeated in Liberia; his opponent has suggested that she'd offer him a post in her cabinet, such as Minister of Sports and Youth. The Games Do Count is a recent book which explores the connection between sports and success in other professions, including politics. (Henry Kissinger and Condoleezza Rice are profiled, among others.)