Posted on 10/30/2004 10:47:09 PM PDT by alydar
Ryan Longwell could face a very difficult decision today.
Picture it: The Green Bay Packers are trailing the Washington Redskins by two points in the final seconds of their game at FedEx Field. Longwell is summoned to kick a chip- shot 25-yard field goal to win.
No problem, right? Longwell, who has made 61 of 66 field- goal tries from 29 yards or closer in his eight-year NFL career, could make that kick with his eyes closed.
Except Longwell, a staunch Republican and a self- described "big fan" of President Bush, also knows the correlation between the result of the Redskins' final home game before a presidential election and the outcome of that election. If the Redskins win, the candidate from the incumbent party wins. If they lose, the incumbent party is ousted. It's held true in all 17 elections since 1936.
"Do you save the free world, or do you help your team get to 4-4?" Longwell said with a laugh. "No, I'm kidding. I have complete faith in the people of America that they can elect the right guy no matter what I do on the field."
Longwell heard about the odd phenomenon two months ago from his sister, and he and holder Bryan Barker, another Republican, have been joking about it for the past few weeks. "There's a lot of power in our hands going down to that last- second field goal," Longwell said.
Safety Darren Sharper, who plans to vote for Democrat John Kerry on Tuesday, is one of a number of players who hope to win the game and ensure the continuation of the presidential streak.
"I have an extra incentive to go out there and win, because if we win, hopefully the guy that I'm voting for will win," said Sharper, who grew up about an hour from Washington and follows politics closely. "I'm definitely hoping that we come out on top in this game, for many reasons."
But while Packer fans who also are Bush supporters might be torn today, there's one tidbit fans who are undecided voters should consider: Since the NFL began playing only one championship game to determine the league title, the Packers have won the championship only when a Democrat was in the White House.
Their 1936, 1939 and 1944 titles came during Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency; their 1961 and 1962 titles during John F. Kennedy's term; their 1965, 1966 and 1967 championships while Lyndon Johnson was president; and their Super Bowl XXXI victory in Bill Clinton's second term.
Not that any of that matters, right?
"I'm certainly going to vote next week. But we're going to do what we have to do to win a football game," said Packers coach Mike Sherman, who during the 2000 presidential race had Bush stop by practice.
"This is sports and that's politics. And they should never cross paths."
Redskins win? Bush wins.
Redskins lose? Bush wins.
What's hard to understand here?
Democrat's hopes livin on a prayer. Excuse the bon jovi pun, but so fitting. Let the Pack win, nothing like breaking with tradition.
Man, I love my Packers...
Right. The only intelligent thing said in the whole article. Neither the presidential election, nor anything else in the universe depends on the outcome of a football game, the Weekly Reader Poll, the rubbing of a rabbits foot, or the "alignment" of the planets.
It's not even the Steelers...
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