Winning in sports, particularly school soccer, is a certain manner in Alabama to construct an important ingredient to profitable in politics – identify recognition.
AJ McCarron of Mobile, who led the University Alabama to nationwide championships in soccer in 2011 and 2012, is the newest to strive to flip athletic fame into political success, together with his announcement final week that he will run for lieutenant governor next year.
McCarron’s resolution comes because the crossover from sports to politics in Alabama seems to be increasing.
It began with former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, who got here out of retirement to defeat former Sen. Jeff Sessions and incumbent Democrat Doug Jones for a U.S. Senate seat in his first campaign in 2020.
Tuberville determined not to search a second time period in Washington and is now the frontrunner to become Alabama’s next governor.
Paul Finebaum, a family identify for Alabama sports followers after a long time of labor as a columnist, radio present host, and common on the SEC Network and ESPN, is contemplating a run for Tuberville’s seat and said this week he would make a decision soon.
Before Finebaum’s shock announcement, Bruce Pearl, on the peak of his success as Auburn’s basketball coach, turned the topic of hypothesis a few run for the Senate.
Pearl, recognized for talking out on politics, particularly as an advocate for Israel, retired from coaching but decided not to run. He stated he had strongly thought of the thought.
There has even been hypothesis Charles Barkley might make a run for governor.
While the current developments have raised anticipation about Alabama’s upcoming election yr, they are not a part of a sustained development of sports celebrities turning to politics in Alabama.
Thomas Shaw, affiliate professor of political science and prison justice on the University of South Alabama, stated star athletes, like movie and music celebrities, do have a built-in edge.
“Despite this name recognition advantage though, the numbers of these individuals that choose to go into politics remains somewhat modest,” Shaw stated in an e-mail.
“I think we tend to overplay their significance because their candidacy garners far more media attention than standard candidates and thus we perceive their presence/impact to be greater than it may actually be.”
Instead, a handful of Alabama athletes and coaches have made the transfer.
Alabama athletes turned lawmakers
Fob James performed halfback at Auburn from 1952 to 1955 and earned All-American honors his senior season. James was elected governor in 1978 and 1994.
Rich Wingo, a linebacker for Bear Bryant’s Alabama groups who was a part of a legendary goal-line stand that clinched the 1978 nationwide championship in opposition to Penn State, represented a Tuscaloosa district for 2 phrases within the Alabama House, from 2014 to 2022.
Oliver Robinson led UAB to the Elite Eight within the NCAA basketball event in 1982 and was a first-round NBA draft choose. Robinson represented a Birmingham district within the Alabama House from 1998 till 2016, though his political profession resulted in scandal when he was sentenced to federal prison for bribery and fraud.
Frank “Pig” House of Bessemer performed catcher for the Detroit Tigers and different groups throughout a 10-year main league profession that resulted in 1961. House was later elected to a Jefferson County district within the Legislature and was instrumental within the institution of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1967.
Tuberville carried loads of identify recognition when he launched his marketing campaign for the Senate in 2019. He had a profitable 10-year run as Auburn’s coach, beginning in 1999, together with an SEC championship and 6 straight wins over Alabama earlier than Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa.
Steve Flowers, an creator, former state legislator, and longtime commentator on Alabama politics, stated whereas Tuberville’s identify ID was essential, there have been different elements that in his success with voters.
The former Auburn coach put in lengthy days on the marketing campaign path, carrying his message throughout the state, and profitable over influential teams just like the Alabama Farmers Federation.
“Tuberville got out and he worked for a full year in a pickup truck,” Flowers stated. “I mean, he really did work. He spent a full year staying in people’s homes in north Alabama and campaigning.”
“He got out and earned that ALFA endorsement,” Flowers stated.
Tuberville has dubbed his first statewide marketing campaign in 2020, “The People vs. The Swamp Tour.”
A typical cease was on a Sunday afternoon at Priester’s Pecans in Fort Deposit, the place he chatted with Alabama followers, who didn’t maintain the soccer rivalry in opposition to him.
“Most people know who I am,” Tuberville stated that day, about two weeks earlier than the 2020 main.
“They know my name. So what I’m trying to do is just make sure everybody, as many people as can, see me and talk to me so I can explain to them face-to-face why I’m doing this. And it’s really worked well.”
Flowers stated he has doubts whether or not Finebaum, or Pearl if he had determined to run, might win over rank-and-file Republican voters like Tuberville has.
“Tuberville, he comes across as somebody you went to school with, played high school football, that sort of thing,” Flowers stated.
“He’s a country boy of Arkansas. He fit in well in rural Alabama and he worked for it.”
What about McCarron? Could he be the following one to efficiently make the crossover?
“Yes, he will have some name ID stemming from his time with Alabama football and his continued involvement as a football analyst/blogger,” Jess Brown, former political science professor at Athens State University and longtime observer of Alabama elections, stated in an e-mail.
“College football is a very high profile, social phenomenon in Alabama. Much more salient with Alabama populace than state government. Media response to McCarron candidacy already suggests that.
“But, the name ID bounce for McCarron will be noticeably less than what Tuberville inherited and brought to his race since Tuberville was a head coach at Auburn for almost a decade. And, head coaches are covered by media and simply more visible than QBs, even celebrated QBs.”
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Brown stated Tuberville was helped by his ties with Auburn and Katie Britt, who was additionally elected to the Senate in her first run for workplace, was helped by her connection to the University of Alabama, the place she graduated and her husband Wesley Britt was a standout soccer participant.
“An important question is: Will McCarron be able to get the statewide network of UA supporters to join his campaign?” Brown stated.
“Tuberville was able to get much support from the agribusiness interests associated with Auburn. Britt was certainly helped by the UA network.
“And finally, do not forget the Trump factor. Will McCarron by his prior words and actions be acceptable to Trump and MAGA folks? Will Trump gravitate to McCarron because of his association with big-time collegiate football?”
Trump has attended a number of Alabama video games and gave the Crimson Tide a shoutout during a visit to Japan this week.
Brown stated others related to Alabama soccer might assist McCarron fire up curiosity in a race that usually doesn’t entice a lot consideration apart from with those that follow politics carefully. The lieutenant governor has restricted authority, besides to preside over the state Senate.
“Will other stars in the Alabama football universe eventually assist McCarron in this low profile contest for most voters? Saban? Miss Terry?“ Brown said.
Lori Owens, a professor of political science at Jacksonville State University, said Tuberville’s transition from sports to politics followed the playbook of Donald Trump.
“When Trump ran, he had that celebrity status because anybody of a certain age had been hearing about Donald Trump for decades before he ran for president,” Owens stated.
“Tuberville, he’s not a celebrity, but he had a well known name being the coach at Auburn.
“He was able to take advantage of running as an outsider, similar to what Trump did – ‘I’m an outsider entering into politics that’s going to advocate for you, advocate for the people.’
“And it does seem to have opened up a gate in terms of people entering into politics that you would have never previously thought would do so before.”
McCarron turned the fifth Republican to enter the lieutenant governor race. Two have statewide election wins below their belts – Secretary of State Wes Allen and Agriculture and Industries Commissioner Rick Pate.
Opelika pastor Dean Odle, who ran for governor in 2022, and commercial real estate developer Nicole Wadsworth are operating for the workplace.
Allen and Pate, having served in public workplace and campaigned throughout the state, have constructed relationships with the energetic, grassroots Republicans who are doubtless to determine the first, Owens stated.
“Both of these people have already been going around the state to talk with the grassroots Republicans because it will be the people that would be more interested in the party politics that would be voting in the primary,” Owens stated.
McCarron doesn’t have these ties, not less than not but.
“It’s already hit the headlines that McCarron only recently registered to vote. So there’s going to be some people asking him about that.”
“But on the other hand, McCarron may cause some people to come out and vote in the primary who might not have done so before simply because he’s a candidate and he’s an outsider and he is a name they recognize,” Owens stated.
The main is May 19, 2026.
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