Democrats Go Full Football, And More From Wednesday At The Democratic National Convention

Did you know Tim Walz was a football coach? The Democrats definitely want you to know he was a football coach.

The Minnesota governor and vice presidential nominee’s part-time job as a high school defensive coordinator was central to the image Democrats presented of him on Wednesday night, with members of his state championship-winning team appearing on stage in their old Mankato West Scarlets football jerseys not long before he spoke.

“I haven’t given a lot of big speeches like this one in my life,” Walz said toward the end of his speech. “But I’ve given a lot of pep talks. So let me finish with this, team. It’s the fourth quarter. We’re down a field goal. But we’re on offense. We’re driving down the field. And, boy, do we have the right team to win this.”

“We’ll sleep when we’re dead,” he ordered. “And we’re gonna leave it all on the field.”

Democrats have not always been the party more associated with football. A former Republican president, Gerald Ford, played the game at the University of Michigan. And Jack Kemp, the Republican vice presidential candidate in 1996, was a former professional quarterback. Former President Donald Trump once owned a football team, liked to play up his associations with legendary coach Bill Belichick and endorsed running back Herschel Walker for Senate.

But the game is central to American life. Of the 100 most-watched television broadcasts in 2023, 93 were National Football League games . College football is the center point of fall Saturdays throughout the South, and Friday night high school games are a core part of America’s self-image. Labeling Walz as “coach” immediately makes him a somewhat familiar figure to an overwhelming swath of the American public.

Democrats are expected