Editor’s note: Kelli Loos is filling in for her husband for this week’s column.
March Madness is behind us and now most of America has baseball fever. I’m excited to add that there have already been some major upsets in both college softball and baseball with unexpected results already in Major League Baseball.
I want to reflect on basketball season for a bit longer.
The UCLA Bruins dominated the women’s tournament and in championship game won over South Carolina in Division I while the Michigan Wolverines knocked off perennial powerhouse UConn in the men’s bracket. Both winning teams made 89% of their free throws while their opponents shot around 75%. On floor, the Lady Bruins’ dominating offense recorded more than 42% for both field goals and three-pointers.
Meanwhile, in Washington DC, our federal government is hovering at an impressive 30% satisfaction rating in surveys by both the Pew Research Service and the Partnership for Public Service. These folks are elected to represent the residents of their respected districts yet more than 50% of those surveyed believe the government is actually hurting Americans more than they are helping. In basketball, shooting 30% won’t even get you in the tournament, much less into the championship. In fact, the top 50 teams in the nation in free-throw shooting were all above 75%.
A full two-thirds of all persons responding to the polls believe the federal government is “corrupt.” Those saying they can trust the government always or most of the time have never been higher than 30% since 2007. The results are also clearly delineated between parties and fluctuate somewhat depending on who is in the White House.
Another stat I found impressive in the Lady Bruins’ win was in the assist column. UCLA players were willing to share the ball 23 times to achieve a win compared to just nine for South Carolina. How badly does a team want to win a game or even a national championship?
It leads me to think how badly does our nation need a win for the people? Do we need a win for Americans enough to reach across the aisles, put down the hatchets, pack up the rhetoric and do what is best for the country? I would hope so, but it doesn’t look like we will get anything except accusations and false promises as we head to the ballot box again.
As primary season becomes heated in Nebraska and many other states, contested politicians are pulling out all the stops from stump speeches and kissing babies to miraculously getting bills passed that will save election integrity. If voter fraud has been such a problem, I wonder why we didn’t roll this bill out until it could be used as a campaign tool for recent accomplishments.
Despite the pleas from voters, politicians and their paid consultants (with millions in PAC dollars to spend) can’t help but sling mud, make false accusations and try to baffle voters with their rhetoric. Numerous counties have invited candidates to come to forums and discuss their differences with their opponents and answer questions from the public, but, at least in Nebraska, in my opinion, the incumbents are often too scared to show up in person. Maybe they know they are only shooting 30% and there is no way to win the big game.
Editor’s note: The views expressed here are the author’s own and do not represent the view of High Plains Journal. Trent Loos is a sixth generation United States farmer, host of the daily radio show, Loos Tales, and founder of Faces of Agriculture, a non-profit organization putting the human element back into the production of agriculture. Get more information at www.LoosTales.com or email Trent at [email protected].
PHOTO: Basketball. (Adobe Stock-#373597587 │ Pixel-Shot)
