When Gov. Sam Brownback was shown on the big screens Sunday at the NCAA basketball matchup between the University of Kansas Jayhawks and the Wichita State University Shockers, fans booed.
Kansans booed their own governor on national TV.
The cause of their outrage was apparently not our state’s budget deficit, or the bills that attack civil rights in our state (with the exception of the right to pack a concealed weapon without a permit). They were upset because the governor chose to wear a T-shirt that showed both teams, with a pink button-down shirt underneath.
Consider the Tweet by Brendan Prunty (@BrendanPrunty): “Gov. Sam Brownback wearing a t-shirt with both teams over a button-down shirt is the ‘most politician thing at a sporting event’ ever.”
In his book “Leadership,” former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani talked about his decision to wear a baseball cap with a Yankee’s baseball team logo, instead of following past New York City mayors who would wear a cap with the Yankees logo on one side and the Mets symbol on the back. “I thought the hat looked stupid,” he said, so he stuck to his Yankee cap and thought he’d be respected by Mets fans for his honesty.
Well, what if a governor was really more interested in running the state than the outcome of a game? What if that governor just wore the button-down shirt, or stayed home, or attended the game wearing a T-shirt that said, “Who cares?”
Is everyone with one of those “house divided” car tags being wishy-washy? Can’t we be happy that two Kansas teams are in the spotlight?
Booing our own governor is unsportsmanlike and reflects badly on our state. Booing him over not wearing a Jayhawk-only T-shirt is petty.
If some of the boos were by any chance due to the governor’s politics, people would accomplish more by voting than by booing. Those who don’t care for our governor (or what he’s wearing) should at least respect the office.