During Monday night’s broadcast of “SportsCenter” on ESPN, host Scott Van Pelt compared the vitriol in sports rivalries to that of a presidential race.
Van Pelt listed off how numerous sports rivalries pit a red team against a blue team, adding that political parties and sports rivalries both have disdain for the other side and how they celebrate the rival’s scandals but ignore their own “warts.”
“Good luck finding much common ground,” Van Pelt said. “There is contempt, disdain, bitterness, name calling, grudges held over generations and an overall lack of civility which each fan base contributes to. Nobody is innocent. Each side celebrates and magnifies the scandals of the other and conveniently ignoring their own warts because who enjoys the reality that harsh light in a mirror provide? Families can be divided if you choose to go against your team support the other color and it is certainly best left alone at family gatherings because are you ever really going to convince someone blue to be red or vice versa? No. You’re not. Now, if we replace the two schools with the two political parties does every single thing I rattled off not apply to them as well? Thankfully, we live in a place where you can cheer for whoever you want and vote for whatever you want.”
Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent
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