Finally, a concise sports to politics metaphor

Will there be a GOP sabotage backlash in ’12? - Salon.com: I'm always lamenting the fact that too many people see politics as a sports contest and have a tendency to be as irrational as die hard fans when it comes to votes. But I now see an upside to that. One of the virtues of sports is that the players have to adhere to a set or prescribed rules, something that is pretty much automatically accepted by everyone involved, including fans. You might protest a particular call or play, but in general, you acknowledge the boundaries. In that sense, Republican intransigence can be seen as a deliberate attempt to circumvent protocol in a way that actually harms everyone in the stadium or park, regardless of their loyalty to one team or another. While there will always be a group of die hards willing to support their favorites under any circumstances, it appears an increasing number of people are waking up to the fact that the consequences of a flagrant disregard for the consequences of winning at all costs is threatening the entire political system, not just one ugly season.