After Terrell Owens was suspended and kicked off the Philadelphia Eagles for the remainder of the season, the fledgling star receiver held a press conference on his lawn where his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, tried to defend him. Rosenhaus had spent the off-season harassing the Eagles trying to get more money for Owens, angering the entire Eagles organization and alienating the fans. So, it wasn?t surprising when, after endless sessions of blabbing about why T.O. deserved reinstatement, one Philadelphia journalist pointedly asked Rosenhaus, ?What have you done for T.O., besides get him kicked off the Eagles??This is the kind of question one expects in the sports world when people screw up. The reporters are tough, with little patience for hypocrisy or attempts to blame others for ones' own failures. In the sports world, it matters little which team you play for, who you know, or what endorsements you have. Noone is immune from criticism.
In fact, it often seems like sports reporters do a better job of asking tough questions and getting out the truth than those who report on politics. In sports, every decision is scrutinized, players and coaches have to prove themselves every day, and audiences are not screened to ensure that they are made up only of supporters.
Political coverage, on the other hand, is too often focused on trivialities and the "horse race." Tough reporting in politics can alienate you from influential public officials rather than
gain you greater respect. And politicians usually seem to dictate the conversation in political reporting, rather than the press.
In other words, ?hardball? in politics would be ?softball? in the sports world. And unlike President Bush, who only shows up at 100%-guaranteed friendly gatherings (e.g., crowds of conservatives and military, who have to keep quiet because if they aren't they could lose their job). In the world of sports, you can't hide when you fail, because when you do, even your home fans will boo or heckle you. The bottom line is that sports coverage is more hard-hitting, less biased, and more results-oriented than political coverage.
Here are some other major differences between sports coverage and political coverage:
I think it?s sad the head coach gets tougher questions than the head of state. I think it?s pathetic that we hold players accountable for their actions, but not U.S. Congressmen. Fortunately, in Virginia we have had success over the last four years because leaders like Mark Warner and Tim Kaine have EMPHASIZED performance and results as the benchmark for approval. Mark Warner had to prove himself as a capable leader, and we should ask no less of Tim Kaine.
As in the sports world, political reporting should be based on whether or not our leaders get results and get things done effectively. However, fair and accurate judgment of leadership is even more important in the political world, because when Government succeeds or fails, peoples' lives are affected dramatically. And, unlike in the sports world, people can?t just wait for next season to get their lives back on track.