It's a new day in America and change is abound. The once lowly Tampa Bay Rays took home the American League Pennant, the perennial powerhouse Indianapolis Colts are four games out of first place in the AFC South, and we may never again hear the Detroit Pistons' announcer, John Mason, say "CHAUNCEY, Bu-Bu-Bu-Billups!" Oh, and Virginia, North Carolina, Indiana, Ohio, Florida, Colorado, Iowa, Nevada and New Mexico helped make the new leader of the free world an African-American with a funny sounding name.
Just two days removed from Barack Obama's historic victory, it seems silly to be writing about sports. I'll still be checking MLBtradeRumors.com several times a day to see how many millions the Yankees will offer CC Sabathia, but I don't need to drag everyone else with me. With this in mind, and without trivializing what Obama accomplished and the implication that goes with his victory for the entire country, it's time to draw some Barack sports comparisons. Face it, Obama has all the attributes of a successful sports dynasty.
Sports dynasties require an unflappable leader, such as Tom Brady, Joe Torre and Joe Montana, and one uber-reliable sidekick, such as Bill Belichick, Derek Jeter and Jerry Rice. What about the Barack dynasty? His dynasty features a ridiculously cool and collected leader in Obama and a dependable sidekick in Michelle. Check.
Sports dynasties last at least four years, but rarely exceed eight. Even the Yankees' fabled dynasties in 1921-1928 and 1936-1943 maxed out at eight years. Similarly, the Barack dynasty will last four to eight years.
Successful sports dynasties require good management so that the peripheral pieces don't drag down the stars. There is no Shaq and Kobe without Jerry West building an unassuming, no-ego supporting cast of Robert Horry, Derek Fisher and Deaven George (just kidding about George. Sorry buddy, you totally almost dragged down the stars). The Barack dynasty was jump-started by hard working people behind the scenes who won't receive any accolades despite their invaluable contributions, such as David Plouffe, David Axelrod and Ellis Rochelson '09. Sports dynasties can't succeed without passionate fans and significant home-field advantage that give an edge against tough competition. The Barack dynasty is marked by unparalleled enthusiasm for Obama and motivation to help him win, including that of passionate supporters, millions of driven volunteers and an unprecedented voter turnout around the country.
Teams in the midst of a sports dynasty always win the games that they should win. Sure, it wasn't that impressive when the 1996-2000 Yankees beat up on the Devil Rays during the regular season, but a mark of any elite team is never allowing itself to let up and play down to the competition. It's safe to say that Obama did not play down to a McCain/Palin ticket despite their poorly run campaign. Quite the opposite, Obama took absolutely nothing for granted. Even with the polls in his favor and simulations showing him winning over 95 percent of the time, his campaign worked tirelessly to ensure an Obama victory.
If sports history is any indication - and as in most of life's endeavors, it is - Barack Obama is basically Michael Jordan ... only instead of world class athleticism, a gambling problem and Scottie Pippen, Obama has world class intellect, an association problem and Michelle.
Maybe no one should be surprised that Obama is the new president-elect. If we had just paid attention to the history of Major League Baseball, for example, we could have seen this coming. Recall how Jackie Robinson helped break the color barrier in 1947 and promptly won the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards. Duh! It's so obvious - America is ready for a black (insert occupation) ... just as long as he is a million times more impressive and better at the thing he's trying to be than anyone else.
Tom Trudeau '09 wonders if "The Daily Show" will still be funny with Obama as president.
