Darrell Davis: Sports or politics – what’s the difference?

As Saskatchewan prepares for province-wide municipal elections and the U.S. endures the ugly presidential battle between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, it’s a good reminder that politics are just like sports.

Really, it sounds funny, but it’s true. The most important thing in pro sports is winning a game, a championship. The most important thing in politics is winning an election.

Some of the best political commentators actually began their journalism careers in sports — Saskatchewanians with long memories should recall such good examples as Allan Fotheringham of Maclean’s Magazine and Dale Eisler of the Regina Leader-Post and Saskatoon StarPhoenix.

They understood that politics are a game. The ballot box keeps score. It’s captivating to watch. Sometimes it gets very ugly and, in sports or politics, there are on-line, radio, TV, magazine and newspaper analysis.

Who wins, who loses — that’s all that matters. Some people will do anything it takes to win. And the unfortunate thing about politics is, there’s no penalty box.