Who says athletes don’t get involved in politics? If you’ve been on any sports website over the last week or so, the odds are excellent that you’ve seen this ad. It’s Yankees catcher (and legend, really) Jorge Posada proudly endorsing Mayor Bloomberg’s second reelection campaign. It seems unusual: Bloomberg’s a secret Red Sox fan, after all. The only athlete endorsement we can remember was Johnny Damon endorsing Rudy Giuliani for president, and we think that’s probably because Giuliani pretty much ran as a Yankee. This might have been why he lost.
So what’s the deal? What’s up, Jorge? A press release announcing Posada’s endorsement came out a couple of weeks ago, and it was even accompanied by a video that might clue us in as to why Posada’s suddenly so active politically.
Yeah, you see, the Posadas, led by Jorge’s reality-show wife, Laura, are selling a book. You can tell they’re selling a book because they’re signing copies of the book while Bloomberg stands there, waiting for them to finish and endorse him already. The book — about family health, in which Jorge suggests blowing a whistle at your family to make sure they exercise — quite nicely complements Bloomberg’s public-health initiative, including the one saying that if you light a cigarette, you will be shot in the neck. Bloomberg gets a Yankee legend to endorse him, the Posadas sell some books, and everybody’s happy.
From the release:
The Posadas said: “Mayor Mike has helped build a model city by doing the hard work; creating initiatives to improve the health and wellness of New Yorkers, encouraging participation in healthy recreational activity, improving the quality of health education children receive in public school, and has even increased focus on preventive care. He’s invested in public hospitals and extended public health insurance to a million more New Yorkers. His administration has tackled everything from reducing the number of AIDS cases, to calling attention to childhood obesity and the dangers of smoking. Mayor Mike has proven that as the City’s chief executive. He can hit, throw, field and lead a team, all without missing a beat. We proudly pledge our support to the City’s all-star Mayor, Mike Bloomberg.”
That’s how you know they’re in love: They say every word in unison.