The Nation: We fully endorse the merger of sports and politics and we're not the only ones: "Since athletes are role models, and since a microscopic fraction of young people will actually become pro players, it's worth asking the question: what are they modeling? If they're modeling that life is about making money, driving tricked-out cars and getting on MTV cribs, that's a problem. If they're modeling the idea that life is a game and you keep score by the size of your bank account, that's destruction. If they're modeling that what you have to say is as important as what you can do on the court, and caring about the greater world is actually heroic, then that can make a real difference. It's an old expression: It doesn't matter who's sitting in the White House, it's who's sitting in. When athletes break down the wall and speak, it becomes a living expression that we have entered an age where we will be reclaiming power from those who have abused the collective trust."