WWE and Linda McMahon: 10 Sports Figures Turned Politicians We've Had Enough Of
Linda McMahon, former CEO of the WWE and wife of Vince McMahon, is making a strong run for a seat as Senator in Connecticut.
Although she contends that she has helped build a strong successful business in the WWE, her opponents question her background and accuse her of buying the election.
As a result, McMahon has been one of the most talked about political figures with a history in sports lately.
With that kind of drama surrounding her campaign, some have grown sick of hearing about her.
But she's not the only one. Here are 10 former sports figures that we could probably prefer hearing less about.
10. Tom Osborne
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Osborne is now the athletic director of Nebraska, but he's also served as a member of the U.S. Congress and the U.S. House of Representatives.
He was also a coach for Nebraska and a former NFL player.
During his coaching days, he was associated with having star players that should have served time in jail. To that, Osborne commented: “Would you rather they were on my team or in your neighborhood?”
Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/10/19/opinion/main6972280.shtml
9. Jim Bunning
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He's a Hall of Fame baseball pitcher and a U.S. Senator from Kentucky.
Bunning has served the state as Senator since 1999 and before that was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1987 to 1999.
He's been the topic of much discussion of late because of his decision to pull out of his 2010 re-election campaign, citing a lack of funds.
8. Chris Dudley
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The former NBA center is now the Republican nominee for Governor in Oregon.
His opponents have tired of him because he recently gave this stunning quote: “It doesn’t make sense that our waitresses are getting tips plus the highest minimum wage in the country.”
This is also guy that got so mad on the basketball court, he wanted to throw it down with Shaquille O'Neal.
Source: http://wweek.com/editorial/3649/14625/
7. Manny Pacquiao
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Pac-man is definitely a very good fighter. Arguably the best fighter he have seen this generation.
However, his political accomplishments are constantly the topic of discussion—since he's active in both politics and boxing.
He's a hero and celebrity in his native Philippines—and his fame catapulted him to an upset win the Philippine Congress.
But this boxing congressman will need to figure out whether he's here to fight or to serve his people. Because he probably can't keep doing both.
6. Heath Shuler
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Shuler is a former NFL quarterback chosen third overall in the 1994 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. He holds a lifetime quarterback pass rating of 54.3 and is largely considered a draft bust.
He's been a member of the House of Representatives from North Carolina's 11th district since 2007.
His opponents are sick of him because he's against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act because he believes that health-care reform could hurt the economy.
5. Jesse Ventura
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Jesse "The Body" earned a surprising win in Minnesota's Gubernatorial race as an Independent in 1999.
Before that, we remember him as being a loud-mouth WWF wrestler.
During his tenure, he received criticism for making inappropriate remarks including making a comment on David Letterman saying that the streets in St. Paul must have been designed by drunken Irishmen.
Now Ventura is the host of a cable television show about conspiracy theories including 9/11—which he believes was a government conspiracy.
Hmm.
4. George Bushes
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George Senior was a pitcher for the Yale baseball team, and George W. was a college cheerleader, also for Yale.
Between them, they'e served as President of the United States for 14 years and Senior also serving eight years as a VP.
But the younger Bush has been largely held responsible for the sagging economy that Americans are dealing with today.
As a result, people have tired of hearing about Bush.
3. Arnold Schwarzenneger
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Known as the Governator, Arnold was an actor before he traded that job in to run California.
Before that, he was a bodybuilder and former Mr. Universe. Now he's dealing with a large budget crisis in California, which some directly blame him for.
With his second term as governor about to end, Californians are eager to find someone else to get the state out of the big financial crisis.
2. Linda McMahon
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Along with her husband Vince Mcmahon, they both managed the WWE for nearly 30 years.
Now she's the Republican candidate for Senator in Connecticut, stepping down as CEO of the WWE in order to make a run at politics, financing her campaign with her own money.
Her detractors have criticized and questioned her wrestling background because of the soap-opera plot lines that surround the sport and the alleged steroid use among the wrestlers.
1. Sarah Palin
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Before she was a vice-presidential candidate running alongside John McCain in 2008, Palin started her career as a sportscaster in Anchorage right out of college.
That's right, this self-proclaimed hockey mom got started in the world of sports because she wanted to fulfill a lifelong dream.
Since then, she's become a city council member, mayor and Governor of Alaska.
Now we can't stop hearing about her. And it doesn't seem like her momentum is about to stop since there's already rumors that Palin has her heart set on a run for the 2012 presidential election.
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