Feb. 03--In this quiet space between the Iowa caucuses and the Super Bowl, let's pause to consider how similar sports and politics have become.
We root for teams, we root for candidates. And when things don't go our team's way, we blame others: the referees, the coach, the campaign manager or, in Donald Trump's case, whoever had the audacity to beat him.
After coming in a rather undignified second in Iowa, Trump stewed quietly for a day and then -- like a disconsolate Chicago Bears fan after an unexpected stomping by the Detroit Lions -- lashed out at the winner, Texas senator and luxury time-share salesman Ted Cruz.
Trump took to Twitter -- the box he yells into when he's mad, which is always -- and rattled off a slew of allegations that Cruz had stolen the election in Iowa and committed fraud.
One tweet read: "Based on the fraud committed by Senator Ted Cruz during the Iowa Caucus, either a new election should take place or Cruz results nullified."
Trump's rant centered in part around fake "voter violation" fliers the Cruz campaign mailed to Iowans that showed poor voter participation grades for the recipient and his or her neighbors. It's an old trick to guilt people into turning out to vote, one used in varying formats by Republicans and Democrats alike. Cruz's flier did raise the ire of the Iowa Secretary of State's office, which released a statement criticizing the false information and correcting the misleading statements.
The other issue Trump complained about involved Cruz campaign officials putting out a release on the day of the caucus suggesting that Ben Carson was dropping out of the presidential race. The Cruz campaign apologized the day after the caucus, claiming the email was based on a CNN report that Carson was heading home to Florida rather than continuing on to New Hampshire, and admitted a clarifying email should have been sent once the Carson campaign quashed the rumor.
Still, there's no evidence from the caucus results that Cruz's tactic paid any dividends -- Carson actually performed better than polls had predicted.
I'm certainly not going to defend Cruz's sneaky actions, nor am I going to say Trump deserves a do-over. That's like trying to pick sides in a fight between Voldemort and Dracula.
But Cruz is clearly pushing the rules to his advantage and Trump is whining because the referees didn't throw a penalty flag on the last play of the game.
The problem with this sports-like mentality, particularly in a year when Trump and Bernie Sanders have such passionate devotees, is that your team might get beat in the playoffs and leave you with a Super Bowl that is, by comparison, dull.
The Trump supporters I met in Iowa on caucus night and in the days before are for Trump and Trump only. Most had never had much interest in politics, and when I asked about other Republican candidates their enthusiasm dropped like a rock.
On the Democratic side, Sanders is garnering enormous support among younger voters. They see a movement to latch on to, something more than just a politician.
So what happens if -- and if you're a smart betting person, you would say "when" -- Trump and Sanders don't make it to the big game?
Some Republicans will vote for whoever the GOP candidate is, just to do anything to keep Hillary Clinton out of the White House. But many, like Trump, will simply take their ball and go home, blaming a broken system or voter fraud or nasty politics or whatever.
Same with Sanders' youthful flock. They won't be able to direct that level of enthusiasm in Clinton's direction. Some will vote for her to avoid a Republican president, but the excitement will be muted. They, like the depressed Trump supporters, will go to the Super Bowl party, but only glance at the television occasionally.
Do upsets happen? Of course. But competitions -- be they athletic or political -- tend to work themselves out in ways where the favored prevail.
Look at the Super Bowl. It's the Denver Broncos, the No. 1 team in the AFC, against the Carolina Panthers, the No. 1 team in the NFC. Something unexpected could have happened. The 5th-seeded Kansas City Chiefs could have made it through, or the 6th-seeded Seattle Seahawks.
But they didn't. And do you think die-hard Chiefs and Seahawks fans will suddenly switch their passion to Peyton Manning's Broncos or Cam Newton's Panthers?
No way.
There are exciting story lines in the Super Bowl. Can Manning end his career on top? Can Newton and his youthful exuberance become the new face of the National Football League?
If the presidential election comes down to establishment candidates Clinton and Marco Rubio, there would be compelling narratives. The chance at electing the first female president, or the first Cuban American president. The veteran politician vs. the youthful newcomer.
But how can that be anything but a let down for Trump or Sanders followers?
I fear that too often we're rooting for our team and not for the good of the sport itself.
Consider this: the number of people who watched last year's Super Bowl -- about 114 million -- is only a bit lower than the 126 million people who voted in the 2012 presidential election.
The difference is that one is a game and one is most definitely not.
Here's hoping that difference gets recognized before November.
Go Broncos!
rhuppke@tribpub.com
