You Got Your Politics In My Sports

From John Feinstein, writing a "special" sports editorial for the Washington Post about the baseball playoffs. In discussing the woes of the New York Mets and their late season collapse:

The general manager fired the hitting coach -- without consulting with the manager -- at the All-Star break. He then brought in Rickey Henderson -- without consulting the manager -- as a coach. Henderson was the greatest leadoff hitter in history but bringing him into a clubhouse to counsel young players is a little bit like bringing Dick Cheney into a classroom to discuss the joys of Democracy.

That simile is like bringing Barack Obama into a Chinese restaurant to discuss the joys of playing the pan flute. Yes, confusing and uncomfortable.

I understand that humor is subjective. But when writing in one of the most widely read newspapers in the country, you have to play it kind of broadly. That is, if you must attempt off-topic zingers in a forum not suited for it, make sure to give yourself a chance by having them make sense to the average Joe.

Joking that Dick Cheney (a man who went 8-0 as a candidate for office and who was an advocate of a war who's primary accomplishment is bringing democracy to a country for the first time in its thousands of years' existence) is an enemy of democracy is nonsensical and stupid. Except if you're a member of the sneering camp of leftists who like to accuse American government officials with whom they have policy disagreements of being fascists.

The congruency of that group and the audience looking for engaging commentary on the baseball playoffs (remember them, the reason Feinstein was brought in to write this column in the first place) is, shall we say, limited.

Moral of the story, for you editors and newspaper executives still wondering how to better engage your readers: keep the seething, annoying politics out of the sports commentary. It serves no purpose.

And for you seething, annoying sports writers who feel the boundaries of sports aren't enough to keep your intellect occupied, move on over to the Daily Kos or Huffington Post. The acknowledgment of your wit and genius you seek is there, waiting there to be had.