A Bill Bradley in our Midst?

It’s election time once again and the candidates are off and running, from those running for President all the way down to those running for local spots in the council. You have the usual “trapos” or traditional politicians, the young turks on the rise, and dreamers with no chances of winning. Somewhere along this mix are those in sports.

Since the elections are also recognized to be a popularity contest of sorts, people from the fields of showbiz and sports also throw their hats into the action. Everyone knows how Manny Pacquiao is bent on becoming the only seven-time world champion and Congressman at the same time. On a “smaller” note, the likes of Franz Pumaren (for Quezon City Congressman), Yayoy Alcoseba (Cebu City Councilor), Boy Cabahug (for Provincial Board) and many more have made that switch from the hardcourt to run for the halls of politics. But why are they running for office? Are they there just because they’re supposed to be more popular than the rest? Are they there because they’re better than all those “trapos”? Or are they there because they can really make a difference?

We couldn’t help but look around for precedence and see how athletes have done in the field of politics. After all, this is nothing new and goes back to history. But I’ll have to make a digression of sorts when I look at U.S. politics, and not that of the Philippines. And you’ll see why I’m doing this.

Since the U.S. is often our model for many things, let’s look at the more prominent athletes turned politicians. Tops on the list is no less than Sen. Bill Bradley. He’s probably the only athlete turned politician who achieved both academic and athletic excellence while in college and also earned numerous achievements as an athlete. As an amateur hoops player playing for Princeton, he also won an Olympic gold medal. He then delayed a pro career to pursue further studies in Oxford as a scholar. How many NBA pros have done this? As a pro, he won two NBA championships with the New York Knicks in the 70’s. He then went on to become a Senator in 1978 after retiring from basketball a year earlier. He eventually left the Senate in 1997 and even made a run at the Presidency in 2000 but didn’t get the Democratic Party’s nomination. With such credentials, I’m not sure if any other athlete can match his track record.

There are other popular sport stars who also did well as public officials. This include ex pro football players Jack Kemp, Steve Largent, and ex Mr. Universe Arnold Schwarzenegger. Kemp and Largent, who were also leaders for their college and professional teams, went on to become respected Congressmen. Schwarzenegger, who is a naturalized American, is California’s current governor after having moved to the U.S. to pursue an acting career. He’s also married to a member of the popular Kennedy clan.

Did you know that ex-President George W. Bush played baseball for Yale while in college? He may not have been good enough to become a pro, but he was surely good enough to become a President of the United States.

I don’t have a complete list of ex Filipino sports pros who have gone on to take on the game of politics but those who stand out include the likes of Sonny Jaworski, Freddie Webb, Atoy Co, Philip Cezar, Tito Varela, Yoyong Martinez and those mentioned above.

I don’t know how much further to go in terms of comparison but I think you know what I mean. We Pinoys have voted for athletes only because of their popularity and not due to their qualifications and a genuine desire to help the country. So far, we haven’t encountered a Bill Bradley in our midst and I’m not sure if we’ll ever have the chance to do so.

Our best case scenario would be to have a popular athlete win in the elections, then be guided by a sincere and genuine drive to help the country. He may not have to be as smart as Bill Bradley and Jack Kemp, but it would help if he had a staff that would make up for this. But for now, I guess this will have to remain a dream.

But dreams do come true, don’t they? And so the search is on for the country’s Bill Bradley.

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Time-out: Happy birthday to my cousin Mildred Fatima David-Velasquez! >>> You can reach me at [email protected].