NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan (do I really need to explain who he is?) was never one to get involved in politics. Once asked to do something on behalf of then-North Carolina Democrat Senate candidate Harvey Gantt, who was running against incumbent Republican Jesse Helms, Jordan famously (and, he said completely in jest) replied, “Republicans buy sneakers too.”
As much as people tried to draw Jordan into politics, he said on the ESPN special “The Last Dance” that “… I never thought of myself as an activist. I thought of myself as a basketball player. I wasn't a politician when I was playing my sport. I was focused on my craft. Was that selfish? Probably. But that was my energy. That's where my energy was."
NASCAR driver Brandon Brown understands.
Even if you don’t know who Brown is, you have probably heard or seen the meme, “Let’s Go Brandon!”
It’s been used everywhere, from members of Congress right on down to those usually clever signs seen on ESPN’s “College GameDay.” You can see it on billboards, posted at events ranging from sports to concerts to festivals to local bars.
Brown, for those of you who might not know the story behind the slogan, won his first NASCAR event in October at Talladega, in an Xfinity Series race. During a post-race interview, the crowd behind Brown started chanting “F--- Joe Biden,” but the NBC reporter handling the interview suggested on live TV that the crowd was chanting “Let’s go Brandon.”
The moment went viral. The saying has taken on a life of its own and the phrase “Let’s go Brandon” is meant as a veiled insult toward the President.
Brandon, meanwhile, has apparently found it to be a problem.
Because, to paraphrase Michael Jordan, Democrats support race car drivers too.
Brown told The New York Times that he is afraid his association with the slogan may risk losing corporate sponsorships.
“Our whole navigation is, you want to appeal to everybody because, all in all, everybody is a consumer,’’ Brown told the Times. “I have zero desire to be involved in politics.”
Brown, who says he is a Republican, said he doesn’t know enough about politics to “form a true opinion” about Biden and would rather focus on driving.
The controversy led him to write an op-ed published by Newsweek Monday, in which Brown wrote, “Politics has never been that interesting to me. Though, like most, I have always had the impression that politicians were likely the cause of more problems than they were the solutions.”
He went on to say of the win at the legendary Talladega track, it was “my first major win. It was a hell of a moment for me, my family, my team and my sponsors. It's cliché, but it is a moment I had dreamt about my entire life.” And then, in a post-race interview, “I accidentally became one of the most famous drivers in NASCAR.”
But unlike Jordan, Brown says this unasked-for popularity has changed him.
“I understand that millions of people are struggling right now and are frustrated,” he wrote in the Newsweek column. “Struggling to get by and struggling to build a solid life for themselves and their families and wondering why their government only seems to make it worse. People have a right to frustration — even anger.”
Brown said he has no interest in getting political. “I race cars,” he wrote. “I am not going to endorse anyone, and I am certainly not going to tell anyone how to vote.
“But I'm also no longer going to be silent about the situation I find myself in, and why millions of Americans are chanting my name. I hear them, even if Washington does not.”
That sounds political to me.
Brown expressed a fear of connection to that phrase and suggested that people chant "Let's Go America" instead.
Somehow, as much as I wish it would, I don’t think that will catch on.
But, hey, if he thinks there’s a chance, then I say, “Let’s go Brandon!”
Ray Melick is Editor in Chief of 1819 News. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to Commentary@1819News.com.
