Which professional athletes, retired and current, support Kerry?

Last week, the bush campaign put out a widely publicized list of pro athletes, current and retired, supporting Bush. The list included Karl Malone, Nolan Ryan, Roger Staubach, Ernie Banks, Carlos Beltran, Craig Biggio, John Elway, Bob Feller, Lynn Swann, Mary Lou Rettig and more. It's at http://www.georgewbush.com/News/Read.aspx?ID=4008
I found some other contributors to Bush like Troy Aikman thru the FEC.
I'm trying to put together a counter list for Kerry. So far I have former basketball greats Bill Walton and Bill Bradley and former wrestler Jesse Ventura. Does anyone know of others?
Thanks.....

http://www.newsmeat.com/

and check out the Kerry contributors link.

I'm an big, big, basketball fan, so this is GREAT news to me.

Doubling up on rightwing bore Pete Sampras.

Someone posted here the other day that David Duval is a Democrat. That would be amazing, a high profile PGA player on our side.

can finally play a full season again. He deserves it after that awful foot rehab.

There is more support from the athletes here than I thought. I also think Steve Nash, formerly of the Mavs and now with the Suns, supports him.
I'm going to send this list on to the Kerry campaign and suggest they put it out pronto......

.

he's a fundie and ardent right-winger. this one's even harder to believe than duval.

Julie Foudy and Abby Wambach (and there probably are more).

i thought he was best buds with clarence thomas and a diehard pug?!

but he hasn't given to Kerry. He has not given to any other candidate so i would think he supports kerry over bush. Which is odd because I thought he was a big republican.
Others who have given money to just Dems and not reps include Emmitt Smith, Chris Zorich, Hank Aaron, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius "Dr. J" Erving, Michael Jordan, Isiah Thomas and Evander Holyfield.

that Charles might run for office.

Doesn't hurt to hitch your political wagon to the winning team.

He's supported Pugs often but doesn't do it blindly.

When he supports someone, you know he's really thought it through.

Just another wise man from up north.

Dean Smith, Reggie Miller, Isiah Thomas, Willie Roaf, Franco Harris, Sean Battier, lots of female (Title IX) athletes.

I am sure we are outnumbered on this front. Most pro athletes are well into *'s preferred tax-cut bracket (have-more's). As was posted a few days ago, all Kerry's got to counter the athletes are the Nobel economists ;-)

Not probably to Dean Smith, Franco or Reggie Miller.

Not sure about Battier? Battier and Grant Hill? Wow...I think Coach K down at Duke is a Repuke....

It's good he isn't brainwashing his players. They are too smart for it anyway.

Grant Hill is special. He just can't stay healthy.

For some reason, I always had the opposite impression. I think he was asked during an interview which party, and IIRC he said Republican.

I've never been a fan of the guy, but if my memory is wrong, at least some of the swear words I've used to describe him were unwarranted.

It's a sure bet they didn't go to college; Title IX is ALWAYS at risk.

"Among its members: NBA legend/commentator,Bill Walton....John Chaney,Hall of Fame Temple Owls coach, ESPN commentator Jack Ramsay, Ohio State women's coach Jim Foster, ex-NC Tarheel coaching legend Dean Smith. (these are all basketball coaches)

In fact, here's link with a picture of Brewster shaking hands with John Kerry: http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Sep-05-Sun-2004/news/24703264.html

"WBO heavyweight champion Lamon Brewster gets a laugh at the expense of promoter Don King during Wednesday's news conference at Mandalay Bay. The bombastic promoter, who was in New York for the Republican National Convention, spoke via speakerphone, promoting President Bush. Brewster manager Sam Simon then pulled out a photo of Brewster with Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry. Brewster said he's been a Democrat, "Ever since I've been black."

Brewster is still virtually unknown, despite a stunning knockout of Vladimir Klitshcko in April for the WBO title. This summer Brewster defended his title with a controversial decision over an lowly rated fighter. After the fight, but while still in the ring, instead of promoting himself Brewster said to the TV camera, "John Kerry. John Kerry. That's who I'm voting for." Within seconds Brewster's promoter, Don King, climbed into the ring and hogged the TV coverage while sporting dozens of Bush buttons.

a defense of his title on Showtime, he was saying, "Vote for John Kerry for president!" to the cameras as he waited for the decision to be announced.

Middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins also supports Kerry.

Retired middleweight contender and human rights advocate Rubin "Hurricane" Carter strongly endorses Kerry, and has made clear that he recognizes the Bush administration as the greatest threat to democracy in our nation's history.

Geezus...White Male Republican ... yea a true representation of America.

I haven't seen an explicit endorsement, but he describes his politics as 'middle Left', is strongly pro-choice, pro gun control, believes in strong separation of church and state and is against the war in Iraq. He believes that there were never any WMD in Iraq.

Interview with quotes

Richard Ray - Jackson Hole, WY

I always see Kerry wearing the yellow bracelet that the Armstrong Foundation makes.

Here are ones who gave money or a public endorsement to Kerry: NBA player Grant Hill; former NBA players Bill Walton and Bill Bradley; tennis player Andre Agassi; former tennis player John McEnroe; former NFL players Franco Harris, Pete Gent and Alex Karras; former wrestler Jesse Ventura; boxer Lamon Brewster; and Julie Foudy and Abby Wambach, U.S. women's soccer players on the team that won the 2004 Olympic gold medal.

Then there are many who gave money to only Democratic politicians, but not Kerry, so they probably support Kerry over Bush. They include NFL player Emmitt Smith; former NFL players Pettis Norman, Calvin Hill and Chris Zorich; former Major League Baseball player Hank Aaron; former NBA players Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius "Dr. J" Erving, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Isiah Thomas and Tom McMillen; boxer Evander Holyfield; and former tennis players Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King.

Cyclist Lance Armstrong also said in a UK Times articles that he was not a Republican, that his politics were "middle to left” and he very much opposed the war in Iraq. NBA players Steve Nash and Nick Van Exel also opposed that war.

Thanks for the help.....

Shazam! Staubach is a no-brainer. He looked right wing before I ever knew what it meant.

Now I know why.... :puke:

...he endorsed and helped raise funds for Bill Bradley in 2000.

Say it ain't so...

I was sickened when I saw Dan Marino and Sammy Hagar on the list of repug supporters. Anyone want to buy an autographed Dan Marino card from 1996? It's under plastic and in mint condition.

Doug Flutie campaigned for Hillary in NY when she was running for the Senate, so I would bet on his support. Retired Ranger goalie Mike Richter is a Dem and went ballistic on Bush over Iraq (I love and miss you Mike). Brian Leetch (former Ranger, *sniff*) also voiced criticism over the war.

edit: Richter and Leetch are both Americans, btw, and Leetch's brother was training to go to Afghanistan, the last I heard, and that was a while ago (he's a West Point guy).

:hi:

admitted on the Jim Rome show that he and everyone in his family is a Democrat.

Told me so himself.

One of the best ever.

Supporting Kerry.... and I heard that she is talking to Kerry about beoming a Presidential Aide!!!

In the Oregonian.