How were last week’s NFL Playoffs Like Politics in America?
Tamara Leigh, Host of Tamara Leigh’s Trend On and Founder of Tamara Leigh, LLC
In the lull weekend before #SuperbowlXLVIII match-up between the Denver Broncos (my 2nd favorite team) and the Seattle Seahawks (not a fan of the #badrefcall #Touchception against my #Packers, but am a fan of former #Badgers QB #RussellWilson ) and with 2013’s Superbowl airing no less than 5 politically underscored commercials, and with this year likely to see some again (but please no #PajamaBoy or “talking to your kids” about #healthcare during halftime spots), it’s as good a time as any to ponder (as in think, not Vikings QB) the connection between football and politics — which is not any bigger than making a #LambeaLeap.
Brent Hamchek, Founder Segueway Solutions and Co-Host Segueway to Success on the Linked Local Network
So what do the following all have in common? #SuperBowl2014 #PeytonManning #Omaha #Charity #RichardSherman #Rant #NFLPlayoffs #CPAC #CharlieKirk #Healthcare #NSA #PoliticalDivide #RightWing #LeftWing #TimothyMcVeigh #SihkTempleShooting #FrenchRevolution #Lenin #Stalin #WWII #Hitler #AynRand #Segueway #SmallBusinessOwner #Funding #Economy #Fashion #LinkedLocalNetwork (Yes, I’m clearly guilty of #Hashtag Jimmy Fallon & Justin Timberlake here.)
Hint: They’re all Talking Points in our show (click link to listen): “Brent Hamachek’s Business & Politics on Tamara Leigh’s TREND ON” on the Linked Local Network.
Always trying to be about what’s trending on Tamara Leigh’s TREND ON and as followers of our show know, I’m a loyal Packers fan, so this past week, I had to talk football with the NFL Playoffs and the twitter explosion that took place within seconds of Richard Sherman’s rant post Seattle Seahawk’s victory on NFLonFox with reporter Erin Andrews. And, since my guest, Brent Hamachek, founder of Segueway Solutions, a Chicago-based firm that serves Transitional Financing-Consulting needs for the privately held 
Turns out, Brent had more of an answer and analysis than one would think possible. Not only does he have 25 years experience in and understanding of the financial/banking world and provides hands-on engagement in helping clients and companies through every type of transition from “where they are to where they want to be”, but Brent and his business partner, Tom Kuchen, have also recently become engaged in the political arena with Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA.net and CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference taking place March 6-8, 2014 in Washington, DC, where they’ll be doing LIVE broadcasts of their show. Charlie Kirk, the 20 year old founder of TPUSA, Fox News Guest, voice for Millennials on the virtues of capitalism and conservatism, will be the Masters of Ceremonies at CPAC on Day 3.
As America has increasingly gone from two parties to “two teams”, whereby it becomes implicit that one has to win and the other has to lose, the metaphor to football and politics is fitting. In the case of Sherman, Brent believes, it’s a matter of one team, the Seahawks & its fans defending the behavior and the other team or non-Seahawks fans, opposing it, not unlike Democrats or Republicans, Liberals or Conservatives, defending members or policy issues based on whether or not it’s their team.
The political divide, often referred to as “Far Left” or “Far Right”, are terms that come out of a historical context starting from the French Revolution in 1789 with seating arrangements, literally, of the “Right Wing” and the “Left Wing” assembly of Monarchs and revolutionists, respectively. No one talked about the terms again for the next 100 years, until the Russian Revolution and WWII, according to Brent who has also devoted a fair amount of study and thought to this particular aspect of American politics. The problem arises in trying to put the ideologies on a continuum, whereby Communism landed on the “Left” and Fascism and Nazism landed on the “Right” and Socialism, Progressivism, and categorizing individuals from Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, #TimothyMcVeigh, #WadeMichaelPage (#WisconsinSikhTempleShooter).
Instead of debating issues along party lines or camps of “right” or “left”, Brent asserts,
“Here’s how we should debate every issue: We should be debating, ‘For this particular issue in question, how much individual freedom do we want to surrender for the government to take additional control to help solve a problem?’ That is the question that should be asked of every issue. It should not be about what side is my party taking. It should not be about Team Right and Team Left.
We have a problem. In order for the government to address it, we’ll have to surrender some amount of individual rights and freedoms…to be safe and prosperous, but it needs to be debated along those lines. It’s at the heart of the NSA issue…& why people are so baffled about it…It’s the first time in 20 years an issue is actually being debated the right way.”
For more of the in depth discussion of the two team politics and history, listen to the show with Brent via the link.
Also covered in the beginning portion of the program — a look at business and financial trends; the impact of the 2008 recession; semi-permanent, if not permanent structural shifts from the financial collapse that have changed the way the privately held and small business survive and try to thrive, including disintermediation, borrowing money, and start-up capital, as well as international business with inherent cultural differences.
All good stuff that made for a Fun AND Informative show, including Brent’s closing thought regarding our current political climate:
“For too long we have surrendered the intellectual space in political thought to university professors, journalists, & politicians… just because they have a PhD or work for the New York Times doesn’t mean they’re the only voices to share ideas & research. They’re not the only ones qualified. Use your own minds & your own opportunities to learn more, think more, reason more & contribute to the discussion. Don’t just listen to what you’re told. Start to do some research & do some telling yourselves. Get involved intellectually. Engage the political process intellectually. Then contribute & get involved.”
What do you think? Are you #ReadyToRumble in the political arena? (okay, that’s a boxing reference to #MichaelBuffer’s famous tagline, but not everything has to be about football… unless you’re a Packer fan, because then well, everything is.)
Heidi Feemster, Co-Host & Producer of Tamara Leigh’s Trend On & Managing Partner at Mandatek
Also check out last week’s #DowntonAbby Fashion blog and join us this Wed., 1/29/14 LIVE at 10am CT for #TamaraLeighsTrendOn Warm-Up Winter & Relationships #Valentines Get-Away Ideas with #DanielleJohnson from #TravelWisconsin.com and Dating Coaching tips with Los Angeles’s #MaxKramer from #TrippAdvice.com
Follow on twitter: @tamaraleighllc @heidifeemster @linkedlocalnet
How were last week’s NFL Playoffs Like Politics in America?
Comments
Post a Comment