Charles Barkley Got It Right

I watch a lot of sports. Football, baseball, basketball and even golf take me away from the stress of consuming news and politics for a living. 

Sports are my happy place.

So when sportscasters dabble in politics, I usually reach for the remote.

I’m not interested in their opinions. Neither am I interested in the political opinions of athletes, coaches or team owners.

Shut up and do your jobs.

Take Bob Costas, for instance. Ever since he launched into a jarring gun-control rant right in the middle of a Cowboys/Eagles game on Sunday Night Football in December of 2012, I have loathed the little man who worked for years at NBC.

OK, truth is, I never liked him. He takes himself too seriously for a guy paid mega-bucks to talk about sports. I wish he’d stay in his lane.

On Saturday, however, basketball’s Charles Barkley veered into politics during a Final Four broadcast and it was, well, refreshing. I wasn’t taking notes, but here’s how USA Today covered Barkley’s remarks:

"I think most white people and Black people are great people. I really believe that in my heart," Barkley said. "But I think our system is set up where our politicians, whether they are Republicans or Democrats, are designed to make us not like each other so they can keep their grasp of money and power. They divide and conquer.

Barkley, an 11-time NBA All-Star who retired in 2000 after 16 seasons in the league, has occasionally dropped hints about running for political office -- most notably governor of Alabama. 

However, his political leanings have changed over the years, and he's never been shy about criticizing both major parties, as he did on Saturday night.

"We're so stupid following our politicians, whether they are Republicans or Democrats," Barkley continued. "And their only job is, 'Hey, let's make these people not like each other. We don't live in their neighborhoods. We all got money. Let's make the whites and Blacks not like each other. Let's make rich people and poor people not like each other. Let's scramble the middle class.' I truly believe that in my heart.”

OK, truth is, I’ve always liked Sir Charles. He’s funny and self-deprecating. His Capitol One commercials with Samuel Jackson and Spike Lee are one of the highlights of March Madness. 

On Saturday he struck a note that I suspect resonated with many viewers who are tired of all of the race baiting.

This is one time we’d ought to listen to a sportscaster because Charles Barkley is making sense.

Unlike the nitwits who run Major League Baseball and Biden, Obama and Trump who decided to join them in an attempt to turn our national pastime from baseball to politics.