In a little over a week, Kamala Harris ignited a blue tsunami of support after President Biden, who announced he won’t run for re-election, threw his support behind her.
Fundraising skyrocketed and groups of all types got together to raise money in independent efforts, including Black men and women, white men and women, Latino women and others.
Harris is in a position we haven’t witnessed before, one that differs from Obama’s presidential run in 2008. Not just because of her opponent, but also because of the climate that we’re living in right now.
But Vice President Harris should follow part of Obama’s blueprint and harness the power of sports in her run for the (official) party nomination and presidency.
Obama was filmed in the gym taking jumpers, was on ESPN providing his March Madness Tournament picks and was seen with pro athletes and at college basketball games.
Like Obama, Kamala has the opportunity to channel the power of sports to help her win the presidency and become the first woman, first Black woman and first woman of Caribbean and South Asian descent to become president of the United States.
Her recent foray into sports began by taking a photo with Team USA’s men’s basketball team and Steph Curry’s vocal support of her campaign.
“She represents the Bay Area. She’s been a big supporter of us, so we want to give that energy back to her,” said Curry before the Olympics.
Kamala has already started to make inroads with Gen Z digitally, and now she can do the same by embracing the sports world.
That means speaking to younger players like the Jets’ Sauce Gardner, who’s obviously disconnected from politics after posting his thoughts after the shooting at the Pennsylvania Trump rally.
“In all honesty, I never voted before and am unfamiliar with politics, but I do think it’s odd to judge people based on who they vote for. Maybe it’s not odd and I just don’t understand because I’m not familiar with it. Somebody fill me in,” posted Sauce on X.
Sauce is 24 years old. That means that he was old enough to have voted in the 2020 presidential election as well as every local and statewide election from roughly 2018.
For him to say he’s never voted is, arguably, a bigger issue than him posting the now-infamous picture of the former president on July 13th.
These are the types of young adults who Kamala needs to reach so she can get them to understand the realities of what’s at stake for the country and the world, get them to register and get them to the polls so that they can vote. Sometimes star athletes, particularly Black athletes, at all levels ignore the issues that affect their friends, families, communities and those who look like them because sports shields them from being affected in the same manner.
But all the money in the world can’t protect you from racism, sexism, homophobia, religious persecution, or other forms of hate and oppression. You might think it does but hate is always out there and it only takes one moment to unleash it.
Ask Colin Kaepernick about that.
Kamala’s intelligence, experience, success and personality can affect their thought process and garner support from potential voters like Sauce who choose to sidestep political causes.
The easiest outreach she can make is through women’s sports, which has experienced a booming growth over the recent few years.
The WNBA is a layup (pun intended) as the league’s players have already proven to be fearless in the face of oppression and ignorance. Players stood proudly in support of Black Lives Matter and they forced a sale of the Atlanta Dream in 2021 after former senator and team owner, Kelly Loeffeler spoke out against the player’s support for social justice and BLM.
The ascension of the NWSL presents another opportunity for Harris. The league’s commissioner, Jessica Berman, has spoken publically about reproductive rights and the right of any player who seeks an abortion, even in states with restrictive laws. The newest team, the Utah Royals, supports the league’s unabashed support of reproductive rights.
“What we intended to share with the Utah announcement is that of course the players are our employees, and for our policy for the players to the extent they can have their medical needs addressed in their local market to the extent it’s permissible by law,” said Berman. “Our policy allows for insurance to cover them traveling, and being able to have their medical needs addressed.”
Harris can appeal to Asian Americans through sports by working with organizations such as Major League Cricket. Cricket, as we just witnessed during the American leg of the T20 Cricket World Cup, has a huge South Asian fanbase, which presents her with a great opportunity to connect with voters who share her heritage and culture.
Appealing to the Asian community through sports will also help her in Texas, which has seen its Asian population grow by over 5% in the last two years.
She should also work with USA Rugby, which saw the women’s team win its first-ever Olympic medal (bronze) after a thrilling, last-second win over Australia in Paris. The league just received a $4 million investment from NWSL team owner Michele Kang, so the foundation is set.
Harris should also befriend rugby star Ilona Maher, who was trolled for her body before taking to social media and posting an emotional video about body shaming. In less than a week, Maher went from over 500,000 followers on IG to 2.2 million.
That’s an influencer Harris should add to her team.
The NFL, which opened up some stadiums as polling and voting sites during the 2020 election, gives Harris the biggest domestic fanbase to appeal to and work with. And while we know that some fans will be supporting her opponent, Harris can reach the biggest number of sports fans in one location at NFL games.
Harris should also be ready to meet with all of the Olympians when they return home from Paris.
And now that the former president has ridiculously questioned her Blackness, we assume that Harris will be showing up at HBCU football games this fall. Not that she needs to prove her Blackness, but in politics, showing up carries weight.
Kamala Harris can make history in November. She’s off to a great start and her campaign’s momentum continues to strengthen.
And through the power of sports, it will only grow stronger.
