We Condemn Athletes for Breaking Unwritten Rules. Why Do We Let a President Spit on the Constitution?
You’re about to share this article if you had enough of your favorite player fumbling and striking out. That feeling is more than just disappointment in a bad play; it’s a visceral frustration that comes from a betrayal of focus.
The Unwritten Contract
In professional sports, a player’s contract isn’t just about money. It’s an agreement to stay focused, work hard, and give everything to the team.
When a player, early in their tenure, starts talking about free agency years down the road, their mind clearly isn’t on the game. They are booed mercilessly by the fans.
Baseball, whether the athlete likes it or not, is a meritocracy.
They become a problem in the dugout, focused only on their own future, not the team or the fans. That kind of talk breaks an unwritten rule: do the job you have, not the one you want next.
This same idea applies to politics, especially when it comes to the President. When a President takes the oath of office, it’s like signing a four-year contract with the American people.
Using the baseball analogy, they should at least produce, hit .250, drive in some runs, and deliver on their basic promises. If they’re a home run hitter, hit some damb home runs! We’ll give them a break on the .250 average. Even if they start out hot, they have to keep delivering; that’s it, that’s the job, and they are only as good as their last deal.
Back to the President, their job is to lead and govern, not to plan their next campaign. Suppose they start talking about re-election early in their first term. In that case, it shows their focus has shifted from serving the country to serving themselves.
Batting .150 for America
I’ve seen fans call for a player to be benched for less, branding them a “bust” with vehement wrath. That shift from performing to campaigning turns governing into a nonstop circus, where decisions are made for political gain rather than for the good of the people. It damages trust and makes it seem like power matters more than the nation’s well-being.
Don’t get me wrong, everyone is free to act as they want when it comes to their favorite sports team. But today, my favorite team is the United States of America, and we have a dude batting around .150 who is on pace to strike out an unprecedented 300 times. This is the guy talking about his next contract before even performing in this one. Where’s the outcry from his teammates in government? Enough is enough. The silence is deafening, and frankly, it’s strange. His teammates making excuses for him, his fans cheering him on?
More Than Just a Broken Rule
Things get much more serious when a President starts talking about a third term. Here, the sports comparison no longer works. An athlete thinking ahead to their next contract might be selfish, haha, and, in the case I describe, delusional as fuck. However, they are still operating within the league’s established rules.
A President hinting at staying in office beyond two terms is not just unprofessional; it’s a challenge to the Constitution itself. The 22nd Amendment clearly limits Presidents to two terms. It exists because Americans have always been wary of leaders who hold on to power for too long. Ignoring that limit isn’t like calling a foul play; it’s like trying to change the rules of the game to make sure you always win.
The 22nd Amendment stops even a good-performing president from continuing to lead; that’s the rules, DEAL WITH IT.
So, when this idea is floated, is it just a joke? Are his supporters in on it? Or are they practicing for a time when the joke becomes reality? The questions themselves are a symptom of the problem.
A Nation on the Line
Both the athlete and the President show what happens when focus shifts from duty to ambition. The athlete might lose the respect of their teammates and fans. The President who pushes past constitutional term limits risks something much bigger: the trust of the people and the very strength of the republic.
One mistake hurts a career; the other threatens an entire nation.
I’m tired of this blowhard rookie behavior. Forget a player leaving a team; this is a President leaving America behind.
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