Off the fence

I always have believed that a person’s religious and political beliefs should be kept out of the workplace. I know that a lot of people define themselves by these tenets and I know that a lot of corporations, including the one I work for, donate a lot of money to specific political candidates.

In fact, in the past I have worked and campaigned for several political candidates and if one (or two) of my friends run for Congress, mayor or district attorney, I will be there for them for whatever they want me to do.

But you will never read about it here, nor will anyone at work hear about it either.

I’m not apolitical – far from it. My political views are hardened by a childhood spent in Washington, D.C. and time spent studying history and politics in school. As I have mentioned in previous posts, in another time my aspiration was to be a political and presidential historian. Because of this I’d like to think my views are well formed and investigated.

Then again, everyone thinks that about himself.

The reason I bring this up is because Cardinals’ pitcher Jeff Suppan, slated to start tonight’s Game 4, is involved in a bit of a controversy because of his role in a political campaign ad in Missouri. Suppan (along with Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner and Kansas City Royals first baseman Mike Sweeney), it seems, has come out against stem-cell research in response to an advertisement featuring actor Michael J. Fox. The actor, as has been well documented, suffers from Parkinson's disease and actively campaigns for stem-cell research.

I’m not going to include anything Suppan or Fox said in their ads because neither man is an expert on the subject or a scientist.

Nevertheless, in six years of being in close quarters with professional athletes, this is really the first time I can remember one jumping into the political fray. Actually, in retrospect, I can remember a handful of political conversations with a baseball player whose views were similar to mine, but that's about it. Some jocks have bumper stickers on their cars with a political bent, but rarely bring those ideas into the clubhouse or near the field.

No, I won’t reveal anything here either.

The point is I think it’s good that Suppan is politically active. A generation ago most athletes were very active in the politics of the United States and their sports. They protested, formed unions and engaged the entire process.

Now, generalizing a little (but not much), professional athletes engage in X-box and gambling or both with a lot of dodging the media and the fans mixed in. Some have no idea about the battles waged and the precedent set by the athletes that came before them.

So before anyone rips Suppan for his political stance, which definitely is fair game, let's hope that his interest in the process sparks more from athletes on all angles of the spectrum.

Let’s just keep it off the field and off these pages.