Monday, September 9, 2013

The Pre-Game Plan for DC-Jockularity

Some might wonder why a denizen of the District of Calamity (sic) whose favorite contact sport is politics would create a Sports quote site.

The title of the site is a tongue in cheek portmanteu of the District of Calamity and a neologism of “Jock” and “ularity”, which should bring to mind a facetious feeling spelled differently.  The mast features a cheerleader surrounded by a variety of sports paraphernalia.  The cheerleader is the 43rd President in prep school rally mode.



While I enjoy watching some sports matches live or on a large screen high definition television, I’ll admit to being a sports agnostic aside from rooting for the alma mater during March Madness or paying attention during the Stanley Cup playoffs.  My interest tends to be in the business of sports, like sports stadia construction, rights for broadcasting, conference reconfiguration etc.  However, unlike the antipathy of a Manhattan intellectual in Annie Hall (1977) who put down basketball players as “a group of pituitary cases trying to stuff a ball through a hoop”, I appreciate the virtues of sport even if I do not always share in the fanaticism.



But I also see sports as a means to draw more wisdom from the world.

I have collected pithy pearls of wisdom for years and found that a decent number of them came from sports personages. Much to the chagrin of Charles Barkley, people do look up to sports stars and take note of what they say.  John Harbaugh, the coach of the Baltimore Ravens, used the example of Mohammad Ali winning ugly to inspire his football team to win Superbowl XLVII.

Sometimes their aphorisms have applicability off the field of play. But many articles containing sports quotes simply bundle them in a top ten list.  That is like reading a quote boxscore, which gives you the outcome but seemingly does not captivate  fans.  DC-Jockularity hopes to have posts which convey a narrative cognitively and visually which resonates long after the final score.

Anyone who has outlasted one Administration living between the beltways should well appreciate how sports can unite disparate groups in Washingon, DC.  The District of Calamity may be mired by partisan bickering and the townies not socializing with the governmental "gownies".  But the area unites around the Redskins, to some extent the Nationals and in some degree the Capitals.



Another reason for DC-Jockularity is recognizing the synergy between sports, entertainment and public policy. Richard Nixon used “Ping Pong diplomacy” to engage with the Peoples’ Republic of China during the Cold War.  Dennis Rodman was the unlikely unofficial American Ambassador to North Korea’s hereditary Dictator Kim Yung Un.

Politicians use sports as a means to humanize themselves and relate to the common man.  Barack Obama poses as a big basketball player. George W. Bush was a maven on a mountain bike. Bill Clinton liked to wear short shorts and jog.  John F. Kerry was wont to windsurf, yacht and ride expensive racing bikes.


 OK, not all pols are that savvy, despite the smart haircuts.

Nowadays, politics is creeping into sports.  Congress holds hearings on sports figures using steroids. Sports announcers like Keith Olbermann and Bob Costas interject progressive politics into their sports commentary. Politically Correct special interest groups try to change team names so as not to offend.   Superbowl ads from Obama Auto Bailout companies looked like gauzy campaign ads. Then the  NFL was being enlisted to promote Obamacare and the Baltimore Ravens bit at that bitter fruit.

So the pre-game plan for DC-Jocularity is to offer an unconventional collection of sports quotes which score big in the District of Calamity.  These aphorisms may be inspirational, philosophical or whimsical.  But pre-game plans almost always change.  So don't be surprised if some commentary on the intersection of sports, politics and history is also included at DC-Jockularlity.

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