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ESPN Knows How Much You Love Politics With Your Sports
By Chris Mottram | October 30, 2008
All week I’ve been operating under the assumption that the worst thing about the Skins playing the Steelers on MNF will be listening to Tony Kornheiser. I may have assumed wrong:
On the eve of the presidential election, ESPN’s Monday Night Football game November 3 will originate from the nation’s capital when the Pittsburgh Steelers meet the Washington Redskins. Before the polls open the next day, ESPN’s audience will hear from the candidates when Chris Berman interviews both major party presidential nominees, Republican Senator John McCain and Democratic Senator Barack Obama, during halftime of the MNF game.
Oh goodie, Chris Berman talkin’ poltics. Can. Not. Wait. And it totally makes so much sense, because we’re obviously not watching football as a brief diversion from the non-stop presidential race coverage.
Awful Announcing also points out that over the last 17 presidential elections, the incumbent party has remained in the White House when the Redskins win their last game before election day. I think on the 4th we’ll learn that’s just 68 years worth of coincidence, because the Skins are gonna beat that ass.
Topics: Politicking, Redskins | 16 Comments »
October 30th, 2008 at 1:15 PM
Just in case, Go Steelers.
The Redskins are still the best team in the NFC if they lose. The country won’t be as fortunate should it go the other way.
October 30th, 2008 at 1:18 PM
People are forgetting that it didn’t work in 2004 – The Redskins lost, but Bush won. I’m hoping this is two in a row where it is wrong…
October 30th, 2008 at 1:27 PM
Yes and no about 2004. I was at that game, and people should remember it as the one the refs stole away.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=241031028
Portis scored on an amazing TD, flipping into the endzone (in a clip that would be replayed thousands of times in a GMC Professional Grade commercial in the years hence), but the refs called it back on a completely bogus formation call – I’m pretty sure that guy calling it so emphatically isn’t in the league any more.
Favre threw 3 picks. Gardner caught 2 TDs. You can see the highlights here:
http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d8018a2f1
October 30th, 2008 at 1:32 PM
my thoughts exactly re: election. this makes Boomer’s intolerable fastest three minutes seem, well, incredibly tolerable in comparison.
October 30th, 2008 at 1:39 PM
Good God, it’s almost enough to drive me out to Raljon to watch in person.
ALMOST enough.
October 30th, 2008 at 2:03 PM
Good grief. I hate Berman. I’d rather listen to Fran Drescher and Carlos Mencia talk politics than listen to this over the hill tub o’ lard stumble through another sentence. Seriously. When was the last time he REALLY said anything. Useless bastard.
October 30th, 2008 at 2:18 PM
Maj – Raljon?
The citizens of Palmer Park, MD would like a word with you.
Word meaning boots to the head and scrotum.
October 30th, 2008 at 3:26 PM
So, the political karma gods consider that Pack-Redskins game a win, I guess. I remember that my parents were in town in ‘04, and I told them about the whole trend — they were appalled when I told them that I would definitely take the Redskins win over a Dem win. Hey, you’ve got to have priorities…
October 30th, 2008 at 5:08 PM
The way I see it, there are two options. Either the Halloween ‘04 game was actually a Redskins win…OR THE ENTIRE TREND WAS A COMPLETE FUCKING COINCIDENCE AND TRYING TO CORRELATE THE OUTCOME OF THE ELECTION TO IT IS TOTAL BULLSHIT!
I hate when people talk about this trend as if it’s a fact. Inductive reasoning is not scientific.
October 30th, 2008 at 5:09 PM
Just to clarify: I said it was a coincidence in the post, no?
October 30th, 2008 at 5:14 PM
Well, that little all-caps rant was mostly directed at Awful Announcing and any commenter who has put stock into it. So I’m glad that you recognize it as a coincidence, but I just hate that people bring it up at all, especially after the trend ended last election.
October 30th, 2008 at 6:02 PM
I’ll always take another reason to root against the Redskins*.
*except when they play Philadelphia.
October 30th, 2008 at 6:59 PM
ESPeon has gone so far as to say the “rule” reads that the game determines the popular vote, so that it retains it’s accuracy, even in ‘04…
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3672799
“If the Redskins win their last home game prior to Election Day, the party that won the popular vote in the previous election wins the White House; if the Redskins lose, the party that lost the popular vote in the previous election wins.”
October 30th, 2008 at 7:52 PM
You have to be a total idiot to suggest that a three and a half hour sporting event pitting two groups of men in helmets against each other does not determine the result of a two-year long national political process. Lee Atwater’s Ghost told me so just yesterday.
October 30th, 2008 at 9:21 PM
Once again, I was at the ‘04 game vs the Pack that broke the trend of presidential elections. And I was glad it broke the trend. In fact I’d like to be the token Mister Irrelevant Republican. And despite MD and DC going blue, I’ve still got hope for Virginia, in which case I can thank Gilbert for living there and getting lower taxes.
So hey Mottram brothers, move to SouthEast! then learn to live!
Suburbia is fun
November 1st, 2008 at 6:04 PM
“Lee Atwater’s Ghost told me so just yesterday.”
Were you eating at Red Hot & Blue?