What IS it with Steelers voting republican?!?

[AspenRose]

First, Lynn Swann. Now I learn Jerome Bettis donated to Bunnypants?!?

http://www.newsmeat.com/sports_political_donations/Jerome_Bettis.php

All I have to say to that is....GO SEAHAWKS! :evilgrin:

Talk about a disconnect, sheesh! When will these guys WAKE UP?

Edit: OK, to the Steelers' credit, Art Rooney (father and son) lean Democrat....

[Reverend_Smitty]

1. As far as I know...

Franco Harris is a good Democrat...

[AspenRose]

16. That's encouraging to hear.

eom

[President Jesus]

31. Yes! Here is Franco's campaign contribution history

http://www.newsmeat.com/sports_political_donations/Franco_Harris.php

on the flip side, here are bench-warmer Tommy Maddox's campaign contributions to Booosh and the GOP
http://www.newsmeat.com/sports_political_donations/Tommy_Maddox.php

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

53. He was also a Seahawk.

[ComerPerro]

2. They must be pretty smart

They make a ton of money. They have a ton of money. And Bush and the Rethugs help protect people who have a ton of money, by taking money from everyone else and shifting the burden on the lower classes.

So, it makes sense for the very rich to support Rethugs.

Its immoral and its disgusting, but it makes sense.

[0rganism]

3. Why would millionaire professional jocks support Republicans? Hmm....

Careful about propping the Seahawks, too, they could turn out to be very much like the Steelers in their political leanings.

[AspenRose]

11. Switching over to the NBA, Newsmeat=Isiah Thomas donated to Dems

and he's a 'millionare professional jock' (or he used to be)....so I wonder what the motivation is for these two (Bettis and Swann) to go republican....especially knowing the GOP is like rat poison to people of color. I don't get it. :shrug:

[0rganism]

17. That's a big difference when you look at the NBA vs. the NFL

Michael Jordan's the same way.

Or take what Rasheed Wallace had to say about W, when the Pistons were going to meet the preznit:
"To say that Rasheed Wallace is less than thrilled to be meeting President George W. Bush on Monday is an understatement. When asked about the Pistons' trip to the White House, Wallace said, 'I ain't going to say (nothing) to him. I didn't vote for him. I'm not excited at all, it's just part of the thing.' Said Chauncey Billups: 'He ain't lying, either. He won't say nothing to him.'" (Detroit News)

(just one more reason to like Rasheed Wallace)

[AspenRose]

21. See, now that would make a very interesting case study

You're looking at two different groups of athletes....NBA vs. NFL

Both groups make a TON of money, and they have significant minority representation, yet one may lean more republican and the other more democrat. What makes them tick? Where do the differences in political philosophy come in?

That would be an interesting study.

[chat_noir]

4. you only name two, and Swann hasn't been a Steeler since 1982

Besides that, he is a Tennesse native. If anything, blame Tennessee.


If I were a football fan, I would be rooting for the Steelers - grew up near Pittsburgh.

[AspenRose]

8. Well, with the super bowl coming up, I've seen Bettis all over the place

and it evoked memories of when Swann played for the Steelers. That's what prompted me to look the stuff up in the first place....

[oasis]

20. What are the chances of former Detroiter Bettis stumping for Ted Nugent?

[AspenRose]

22. Is that idiot running for office (Nugent)?

eom

[oasis]

35. There's been talk about Nuge running for governor of Michigan. (eom)

[timber84]

5. Don't forget Steve Largent!!!!

So maybe you should not root for either team

[AspenRose]

6. You're right, you bring up a good point

I also saw on Newsmeat that Al Michaels is republican, too (surprise, surprise)

[MostlyLurks]

7. Tommy Maddox too.

By the way, thanks for destroying several of my personal favorites: Marino, Michelson. Reminds me of the day I realized I'd have to stop rooting so hard for Sampras and start pulling for Andre.

But on the upside, Marge Schott is 100% Republican (somehow, I suspected as much). And Gary Bettman is 100% Democrat.

Mostly

ON EDIT: GODDAMNIT MARIO LEMIEUX TOO! SONOFABITCH!

[timber84]

9. Marino was mainly independent.

[MostlyLurks]

18. Not really.

He gave $2000 straight up to Bush and $0 to any Democratic candidate. While he may have given more money to nebulous or little-known PACS, I'd consider that to be a solidly Republican record of donations.

Mostly

[qanda]

12. What's wrong with Sampras?

[MostlyLurks]

14. He's admitted to Republican tendencies.

Back in the day, when it was him and Andre and everybody else, they did a piece about how the two were so different, etc. and they asked about political affiliation and Sampras said "Republican" and Agassi said "Democrat".

I was really upset by that and went through a brief "Andre's the man" phase before I realized I just liked Sampras too much to really give up on him. I prefer to think of him as being an old-school Republican who hates Bush. It helps my sanity.

Mostly

[President Jesus]

32. ...but has never donated a dime of his millions (nt)

[AspenRose]

15. Ewwww....Rick Santorum!

http://www.newsmeat.com/sports_political_donations/Mario_Lemieux.php

Mario WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!

[PA Democrat]

10. Franco Harris campaigned for Kerry. n/t

[oasis]

13. There's a good chance that Bettis will be stumping for Swann this fall.

If Bettis should get an MVP for his Super Bowl performance, he'll be a gem that'll be shared by all GOP candidates. He'll be used mostly in the black community to water down Democratic strength.

[AspenRose]

19. *heavy sigh*

A dream image for the GOP spin machine. :-( So see the Seahawks winning would be the lesser of two evils, in this case.

[Ksec]

47. That would be suicidal, for Bettis.

He knows his fan base is big time blue collar. If he were to stump for a Repig, he would quickly become ostracized by Steeler fans, the ones who buy tickets and jerseys. Im bettin the bank that Bettis stays FAR away from swann and the repubs if he likes his career.

[SeattleRob]

23. give me a break...

You say Bettis, I say Largent... Let's call the whole thing off!

[Rocknrule]

24. Well, Republicans are STEALers, after all

:evilgrin:

[NoAmericanTaliban]

25. A lot of pro athletes are Repukes because of the tax breaks

for the rich. If they come out openly for Bush - like Kurt Schilling - then tell them to suite up a go to Iraq & hope they don't get shot by their own troops like Tillman. Remember, age for recruitment is now up to 42 years old.

[oasis]

26. Bettis is too old to continue in the NFL, but for military service, he's

young and fit enough.

[MrSlayer]

27. The NFL is a haven for fundies and the religiously insane.

You can find as many Seahawks or Texans or Eagles or Patriots that are Repukes as there are Steelers. Same thing in baseball. A lot of them are fundies and a lot of them are megarich, both types vote republican almost exclusively.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

28. Lynn Swann has the taint of USC conservatism all over him

In Los Angeles, USC is known as the "University for Spoiled Children". It's a private school where a lot of the rich send their kids. While it may be a good school, it tends to be extremely conservative.

[oasis]

30. I remember how the SC student body heckled Walter Mondale in '84

during his speech on campus. He was running against faux hero Ronald Reagan.

[President Jesus]

33. to be fair, Mondale was heckled everywhere that year

[Ksec]

29. I heard that too.

Im not sure that Bettis would be a repig but Swanny definetly is. The idiot never was too bright, like an Uncle Tom. I would have to say Bettis is a Democrat or at least a centrist.

I love my Steelers and I wouldnt let a bad apple spoil the whole bunch. Fk Swan and his repub ass. Hes an asshole.

[fishwax]

34. bettis gave a couple grand to the bush campaign

so I think it fairly unlikely that he's a dem.

[jn2375]

36. Pittsburgh is a Republican basin

[Ksec]

41. Huh?

Pittsburgh is mostly Dem.

I live near there and we get mostly Pittsburgh stations . It is clearly a Dem city.

[RPM]

43. 4:1 Dem to Repub in the city

I think 2.5:1 in the county....

But they are an odd lot of blue...

[Ksec]

51. I figured somewhere in that neighborhood.

Thanks.

[no_arbusto]

44. Try Again

Clean sweep in '04.
http://www.county.allegheny.pa.us/elect/200411gen/muni188.asp

[theHandpuppet]

37. The Steelers win the prize for political contributions...

... with the vast majority of the purse going into GOP coffers. Here's a rundown of the political contributions of the teams involved in this year's playoffs:

http://www.villagevoice.com/blogs/powerplays/archives/002327.php

[Ksec]

45. Man, that just sucks.

My Steelers donating to my enemies? Im bummin'.

[Darkhawk32]

38. Matt Hasselbeck is a Bush supporter too. n/t

[Craig3410]

39. Which is why I root for the Bears...

Kyle Orton's apparently a HUGE Demo.

:D

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

40. Personally, I believe in: "Separation of sport and state"

Go Steelers!}(

[RPM]

42. Jerome is a domer....

Politics - another reason to hate the university of notre dame.

[Ksec]

49. Notre Dame. Now I see why..

The religious whackos.

[mitchum]

46. Rich and stupid?

[Craig3410]

48. Is there one PGA golfer....

ONE....that isn't a RWer?

I mean, I know it's a sport for stuffy rich people, but COME ON!

[Cha]

50. I was for the Seahawks when I heard

about lynn swann running as as repuke against Rendell..and then I found out my friend and co-worker's husband's cousin is the Special Teams Coach, Bobby Casullo, for the Seattle Seahawks and that cemented it! Go Seahawks!

[Joey Liberal]

52. I hope the Steelers lose n.t