Projo Sports Blog

Pro and college football coaches are generally a conservative bunch, so it's no surprise that more supported John McCain than Barack Obama.

Steve Kornacki of The Wall Street Journal has the numbers to prove it:

"During the 2008 campaign cycle, college and NFL head coaches (and their wives) contributed a total of $13,286 to John McCain and the Republican National Committee. From that same group, Barack Obama and the Democratic National Committee received just $4,600--half of it from Lovie Smith of the Chicago Bears and the other half from San Jose State's Dick Tomey.

In all, 20 coaches active in the 2008 season gave to Republican candidates seeking federal office. Three donated to Democrats. This disparity is even more striking given that, among the individual donors in the '08 campaign cycle, Mr. Obama outraised Mr. McCain by more than a 5-to-1 margin.''

Former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz says that the way many coaches run their teams fits in with the Republican philosophy:

"You aren't entitled to anything. You don't inherit anything. You get what you earn--your position on the team. You're treated like everybody else. You're held accountable for your actions. You understand that your decisions affect other people on that team...There's winners, there's losers, and there's competitiveness."

Not all coaches fit the stereotype. USC's Pete Carroll publicly supported Obama last year.

And then there's Bill Belichick. We don't know how he voted, but the Patriots coach, who gives away hints about his political leanings in public about as often as he discusses his love life, expressed his admiration for Ted Kennedy after the liberal senator's death last week.

 Tags  Bill Belichick New England Patriots Pete Carroll The Wall Street Journal

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