Is Dave Miner a True Christian Conservative? His Sport Preferences Reveal A Lot.

With the election of Donald Trump many of the standard political categories and definitions no longer apply. Is Trump a conservative, a populist, a neo-con, a moderate, a nationalist? How do we understand true conservatism? I believe a person's political identity can be easily defined, not by the politicians they sponsor or the ideology that guides them, you know where a person stands politically by their athletic preferences. During the recent baseball National League Championship Series, I made a Facebook post calling on Conservatives to support the Chicago Cubs, who eventually won the series. Dave Miner, the co-author of this blog replied asking, "what football team is that?" I have known Dave for over 40 years and have never questioned his conservative credentials until that post. A true conservative is a baseball fan! Another pseudo conservative friend commented on a post I made about the American League Championship Series that revealed that she fails to understand the true way. She said she was not a baseball fan, because it was "too slow." Really, too slow?

How can Conservatives tolerate football? I find football with it's fits and starts, penalties and replays, slow, boring, chaotic, and too dramatic to be entertaining. It is the game of the college educated elite, not the kind of people who supported Trump. Every detail of the game, the players, and owner's lives are controlled by the league, every thing that happens. The league manages every aspect of a player's life.  Whether on the field or off, they contribute to the master plan to make them role models for the American liberal agenda. The NFL controls the players speech and thought. An owner gets charged with driving under the influence, and then, he is suspended (I'm yet to figure out how someone who does not play can be suspended). For the next month every sports show talks about the evils of drinking and driving. Every legal proceeding the man goes through is broadcast as an example of how evil this man is. A player strikes his fiancee after a fight. A video of the incident is broadcast all over the world. The player and his fiancee go on television and affirm their love for each other, while admitting that they both have some serious psychological and social dysfunctions. The player takes responsibility for his action. The woman admits that the problems in their relationship is mutual. They accept their legal responsibilities get counseling for their problems, but essentially his career is forever damaged. A players makes a rude comment about another player's sexual preference. The thought police of the NFL meet and sanction the player and tell everyone to talk nice. The league appoints these players to be role models for the American people. If they fall short of what someone in the NFL front office thinks is good character they are condemned and ostracized.

The football players are supposed to be paragon's of virtue. They are to have no dependencies, no character flaws, no deficiencies, but most of all they are not to be conservative or worse yet Christian.  After the shooting of Michael Brown, an African American, by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri NFL players run out on the field with "hands raised," supposedly showing solidarity for the family's claim that the young man's hands were raised and he was crying, "don't shoot." The air waves were filled with players, coaches and sports casters declaring American police to be racists. After 3 autopsies performed on the victim showed the young man could not have possibly been the passive one, and after a grand jury refused to indict, the league still kept promoting the message that America was a racist country, because it aligned with the league vision. The Super Bowl half time show was a tribute to the Black Lives Matter and a racist rant against police department and the so call privileged white.

The league continues to use the games and televised football shows as a venue to promote a liberal social agenda. Yet last July, when 6 Dallas Police officers were ambushed and killed, and Dallas Cowboys players asked the league to allow them to attach a decal to their helmets in support of the police and their families the league forbade it, saying the statement might be offensive to some. A month later when Colin Kaepernik and others take a knee during the national anthem in protest of police shooting and people were outraged and offended the league showed no concerned for fans who were offended. They said they had no control over player expression of opinion on the field. (Yet Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said any of his players who refused to stand for the national anthem would remain on the bench)

Colin Kaepernik's action were within his first amendment right. 

The 2016 Super Bowl commercials were all messages supporting liberal causes and politically correct speech. The half time show was a tribute to Black Lives Matter. When Bill Bellicheck and Tom Brady each wrote a letter to Donald Trump congratulating him on his amazing political campaign writers and sportscaster spend a week excoriating them, but remember they praise Kaepernik. NFL shows no interest in protecting their player's free speech; instead, platers must conform to the league's ideology or risk their career. Players, coaches and owners must speak, believe, live an act in a way that is socially and politically acceptable, because an object of the game is to promote a politically correct agenda. Football is a social culture; played to advance a socio-political agenda. Baseball is a game; it is played for fun and entertainment.

An NFL football player must believe, live an act in a way that is socially and politically acceptable, because an object of th game is to promote a politically correct agenda

When footballs fans meet baseball fans the game's hypocrisy is on display! They usually make some patronizing remark about baseball, implying the superiority of both football and its fans. It is typical liberalism. When you encounter a committed leftist in the work place or on campus their demeanor exhibits their belief that they are the smartest most compassionate person in the room, because they are liberal. According to them football has the larger audience. Baseball is an old person's game. It is what used to be. Football is. It represents our common values. Played in every school and small town in America (as if baseball's not.) Football has much higher T.V. Ratings (although that is changing); no one, they say "watches baseball anymore." Players are selected because of the contributions they make to the team and to their community. (The implication is no one of importance watches baseball, if I was truly a post-modern man engaged in my culture I would be a football fan). Baseball, they say is passe'. Some baseball players lack college degrees. It is the game of the “common man."

Baseball players political views and beliefs are as varied as the population. They are less frequent sponsors of products because no one cares what shoe they wear, car they drive, what their spouse looks like, what their language, religion, sexual preference politics, or what Pizza they order. They play for a team for one reason -- performance. Can they get on base?

One can tell a lot about cultures by the games people play. Didn't someone write a song about that maybe 40 years ago? There are cultural reasons why games like Rugby and Soccer have never become as popular in the U.S and Canada as they have other places. The complexity of the games are a reflection of the complex history and cultures of their societies. Sports are reflections of the way people interact socially.

Sports are reflections of the way people interact socially.

Some sports have never been popular in America because they are not American. They failed to reflect on the field the way Americans lived their lives. Alas, America is changing and so is her sports.

Sports reflect values and mores of the people who play them . It is no accident that baseball rose to prominence and was considered America's game at the height of capitalist expansion, and has declined as we have become more of a socialist society. Baseball is a game about individual achievement, personal responsibility, liberty, national identity.

Baseball is a game about individual achievement, personal responsibility, liberty, national identity.

It reflects conservative Christian American values. It's championship tournament is called the World Series, even though only American teams play. The name of the tournament assumes our teams are the best in the world, because they are American. Foreigners aspiring to greatness in the sport seek to come here to play. When was the last time a Caribbean, Japanese or Australian team recruited an American to play baseball in their country. American baseball is baseball. Very few players aspire to play in the World Baseball Classic (the international Baseball championship tournament), but urchins on the Caribbean Islands dream of coming to American and playing in the World Series. Alas, football reflects a very different world view.

Football is about the team, the common good, fairness. While there are semi-pro-leagues here and professional leagues in other countries. Rarely do their players come join the NFL teams unless they are expatriated Americans players returning home. When games are played overseas the audiences are predominantly Americans living overseas. Although there are occasionally players from other countries who play here they are usually relegated to the less significant special teams. They are not assimilated into the culture of the game. No one would ever dream of calling the Super Bowl, the World Bowl. It would offend the Canadians or the Australian's. Their football is just different but not inferior. We are all equal in the football world. Football is about the group. It is multicultural. Whether baseball is America's game or football is depends upon whether you vision of American is conservative or liberal.

Baseball is a conservative or capitalist game. Football is a liberal or socialistic game. Take for example the very name of the game. Socialists use euphemism to make people believe one reality when another is true. The constitution of the old Soviet Union guaranteed people Freedom of Worship, because they allowed people to go to houses of worship, but they had to keep religion to themselves, out of the public square. It wasn't really freedom of religion as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, which allowed unlimited individual expression. The title of the game of football describes what its proponent want people to think the game is, not what it really is. Even the term “football” is propaganda.

The "foot" plays an insignificant role in the game. Most of the time the ball is carried or thrown, and the thing they throw is an ellipsis, not a ball at all. If they called the game what it really is, no one would go. Who would go to an "Elipsis Throw" game? If they named the game for what it is, the illogic, the hypocrisy of the game would be evident. So a euphemism is created to make the game sound acceptable, so that people will believe it is something that it is not.

So a euphemism is created to make the game sound acceptable, so that people will believe it is something that it is not. 

The foot is hardly used in the game. The object is played is an ellipsis, designed in an aerodynamic, three dimensional, shape because it is usually thrown or carried in the arm. A ball is spherical. And who said anything about the "foot." It is kicked at the end of a series of plays, kicking is an abnormal use of an ellipsis. The only thing that I can think of that an ellipsis is used for is breakfast when it is broken and eaten with hashbrowns, or grits in the south.

Ironically, the Europeans who are master of socialist euphemism, know what foot ball is. It is what we call “soccer.” What praytell is a "soccer?" The ball is never socked it is kicked through a goal to score. The hands can not even touch the ball. We understand why those countries who play soccer call it football. The foot is the primary instrument of play. That is how the ball progresses down the field, with the foot. When you watch an American football game you are watching something that is not what it claims to be. Like liberalism claim to be the progressives the liberators of tbe oppressed when actually their policies destroy lives and families. Who would pay for a hamburger they had ordered if they were served a chicken sandwich? Yet people pay exorbitant prices for “football tickets,” and they get an ellipsis throw game. There is something disingenuous even in the name of the sport. It's height of political correctness, liberalism, socialism. Football is un-American.

Have you ever noticed how the two games are played? Football is inherently collectivist. The players work together for the "common good," while baseball is individual. A football stadium is shaped like an ellipsis. Everything that happens goes on inside that ellipsis. The point of the game is to keep the ball within a certain dimension. If it goes outside the designated area play is stopped, penalties are incurred. The fans are there to observe the beauty and prowess of the players. The players are there to entertain the fans. Everyone contributes to the cause. A football team all works together like a big government machine to run an ellipsis down the field. It is a group effort, The ellipsis is handled by several people in a very inefficient plan to get it to the end of the field, then the other team picks it up and runs it to the other end. It is a never ending playing out of the same scenario, over and over again with the same results. It is highly regulated. There are officials all over the place watching the players every move. One mistake-the whole team is penalized, progress is halted. The description of the offense sounds like a brief of a Supreme Court case- neutral zone i fraction. The whole focus is on fairness, equality. While there is a quarterback who is a significant person, he succeeds by giving the ball to someone else. The product of the game is distributed to several people on the field. The whole game is egalitarian.

Football reflects the liberal vision of society where everything is watched and regulated for a common the common goods. A player steps out of line on the field or off he is accused of playing unfair, politically incorrect and the whole team is penalized. In progressive society we are told parents are incapable of raising their children. It takes a village to raise a child. We are told never to offend or take advantage. When a football player score he is not to display emotions, to glory in his success; it is not his success. It is the teams, and celebrating individual success might offend the 325 pound linebacker whose never held a real job in his life, and never passed Calculus. When a football game ends commentators discuss whether offense was stronger, or defense, whose strategy was better. The performance of anyone other than the quarterback is seldom noted. It is about the group not the player. Football is a socialistic vision of America; therefore Dave Miner's enthusiasm for football belies his conservatism. I'm dissapointed in you David.

But, wait a minute, let's not be so hard on Dave. Let's cooperate; let us reach across the field and get things done together. For the sake of civility and unity let us all come together at an NBA game. Basketball, too is a collectivist sport, where players and owners lives are controlled by the league. The owner of a basketball team recently made an inappropriate comment to an ex-girl friend when they were fighting. His private peccadillo became the measure of his public performance and he was forced to divest himself of the team that he had owned for years and never acted out any racial disparity. The NBA is not so much a political system as it is a social agency designed to transition former street gang members into productive citizens. Basketball is a compromise that just does not suffice.

Baseball is the truly American and conservative game. From my chair baseball is anything but slow. Baseball is linear. It is consistent. Plays happen in sequence; one play follows another. It has a story line. Stops are specified sequences of the game. Replays are allowed on a limited basis. It is orderly and consistent. What happens on the field stays on the field. The players lives off the field are seldom newsworthy unless it affects their ability to play the game.

The players lives off the field are seldom newsworthy unless it affects their ability to play the game.

Chicago Cubs closing pitcher, Aroldis Chapman was suspended for several games following involvement in a domestic violence incident. No one approved of his actions, but he paid a cosequence took responsibility for his problems getting help, suffering consequences, then was restored to the Cubs, and became the star closing pitcher in the World Series. Barry Bonds is coaching today despite his difficulties as a player. No one disparages Josh Hamilton's substance abuse problem.

Baseball is inherently individual. The stadium is shaped like a slice of pie. How American is that? There is a single focal point at the vortex of the stadium. The whole design of the game is around that single point - home base. The stadium moves out in two rays with a vortex at the back of home plate, then on the other end of the field an arc ties the two rays together. Everything is focused outward from home plate. There is no goal, because the object is to exceed the boundaries. The ultimate accomplishment is to hit the ball out of field. The ultimate act is for any single player to hit the ball farther, longer to break out of the boundaries. Although there are nine players on the field and nine in the dugout, the way the game is played is about the individual. One person stands at the very focal point of the game at home plate and responds to a pitch presented to him by another -- a pitcher--- standing alone at mid-field.

While there are officials at every base, the home plate umpire is the main official. When a player does something wrong the penalty is on him, it is called an error. The team is not punished for the failures of the individual either on or off the field. The hitter  is called for a strike if they miss the ball or an out if they fail to get on base. A defensive player is charged an error if they bumble the ball. While their actions affect the team, the players are solely accountable for their own actions. While the pitcher has eight other players on the field with him, they are all dependent on him and they all support him. The players in the dugout wait for the hitter before they have a chance to play themselves. And emotion is allowed and encouraged. Amazing plays are celebrated. Winners are mobbed at the end of games. Managers argue with umpires. Players get in fights. They celebrate their wins and triumphs. There is an organized defense, the team is important, but when the game is over the discussions are about hitters, pitchers, and fielders and what they did. Which made hits, caught the ball, got on base, made home runs. Baseball is about earning it, It is about individual liberty and personal responsibility and individual success that raises all the boats in the harbor.

Football is about being given something, about collective action and opportunity. Have you noticed how people become major league football players? Rarely does someone walk into a football career without a whole support system behind them. They seldom do it on their on. High School students are given scholarships, so that their football aspirations will not have to be limited by that they having to learning anything.  When they leave college they go into a draft where they are represented by an agent and they are given an opportunity to play on a team. It is about a system over which they have little or no personal control. It is more about someone liking what they do than what they do for themselves. Of course, athletic ability is important. Only the best get selected for the teams, but playing football is as much about working the system as it is about playing the game. Although not everyone who plays football had a college scholarship or got drafted, but name someone who did not. It is interesting that when the players run out on the field to be introduced to the fans along with their name  they announced the college where they player went without ever cracking a book. They are identified as much for the group they came from as for their ability to play the game. There is no personal identity. Every thing about the players, the owners, the officials must fit the template that the media sets for football regardless of the players ability. Football is about controlling people to get the result the league wants, that is un-American.

Have you noticed how people become major league baseball players? Each player earns their spot. While there is a baseball draft and there are college scholarships, drafted players and college educated athletes go into the minor league and compete with players who may not have had any college and who may have walked in off the street. They either actually go to class or bag groceries in the off season. Los Angeles Angels, First Baseman, Albert Pujhols -without a doubt the best first baseman ever to play the game and some would argue the best baseball player in history- walked unto a junior college team in Kansas City Missouri to begin his career. From their he worked his way up through the minor league to become the ace for the Saint Lois Cardinals (That's the Baseball team, Dave. The football team by the same name is in Phoenix. Do they even have cardinals there? I mean the birds, not the priest's with the pointy red hats.) How many people come into football off the street or from non-professional leagues? Not impossible, but very unlikely. Pujols is like every other player he got his job because of his ability alone. Players are chosen because they are exceptional at hitting the ball, getting on base or pitching.

Baseball values what an individual can achieve through skill and competition. What goes on off the field makes little difference unless it effects the game. Sure there was a scandal about steroid use but that was about creating unfair advantage for some one playing the game. We hear very little about marital problems, sexual preference or drinking problems or religious convictions of baseball players, or responsibility to be a role model. In Baseball only one thing matters: the battle between pitcher and batter. It is about the individual's ability to play the game. Baseball is about liberty. Anyone educated or not, re gardless of race, sexual preference, language or ethnicity, dysfunctional family or happy home can play the game. It is the Conservative sport; it is America's game.

Baseball now, there is pristine truth. A person hits a ball and runs to a base. That is why they call it “baseball.” The name of the sport describes the game. When you watch a baseball game you get the burger when you order the burger. 

When you watch a baseball game you get the burger when you order the burger. 

You get what you pay for - a game involving bases and balls. As people become disappointed with the failures of liberalism and as they seek to live their lives without being either sermonized or demonized, football declines in popularity and baseball grows. Jesus said, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." Jesus is a baseball fan. Dave Miner is a football fan, so he can be neither Christian nor Conservative?

Baseball is the Christian sport. It is the conservative sport. It is the American way. Baseball is about the American dream. It is about a person standing up to the plate taking a swing at the opportunity presented. It comes down to two people competing against each other for the win, and what they do gives others the opportunity to win or lose too. Just as a business person who manufacturers a revolutionary product gives opportunities to employees and vendors to participate in her success ultimately it is about what she does with the opportunity given her. Baseball is about the individual's pursuit of life, liberty and happiness. It's about liberty, capitalism taking advantage of what comes your way, capitalizing on the pitch your thrown. It reminds me of the words of Patrick Henry, "Give me baseball or give me death," or something to that affect.