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Ralph Nader is a former Presidential candidate and one of the most prominent politicians of his generation, but no one would know it. While he is cool, calm, collected, and always sharply dressed, Nader is essentially what all politicians are not—aware, concerned, and for the people.

What people may not know is that Nader not only cares about the people, but also the blue collar sports fan. As the website states, League of Fans is a sports reform project founded by Ralph Nader to encourage social and civic responsibility in sports industry and culture. League of Fans emphasizes the following:

*Citizen Participation and Direct Action
*Economic Justice
*De-Commercialization
*Personal & Global Responsibility
*Informed and Principled Consumers
*Fan-Friendliness
*Sustainability
*Personal & Global Responsibility
*Inclusion, Equal Opportunity & Respect for Diversity
*Doping-Free Sports
*Respectful Fan Behavior
*Consumer Control of Broadcasts
*Participation & Fitness
*Independent Media
*Historical Preservation
*Health & Safety
*Physical & Health Education, & School Athletics
*Fun & Inclusive Youth Participation
*Grassroots

Like I said, Ralph Nader really cares about the everyday sports fan.

The former Presidential candidate and best-selling author spoke to Brookdale Community College students, among others, about politics, life, and his new book,Only The Super Rich Can Save Us, in Lincroft, NJ on Saturday, Dec. 5.

Prior to his lecture, Mr. Nader spoke exclusively with The Sports Courier regarding a number of topics including the 2008 Presidential election, Tim Donaghy, whether sports are still friendly to the average fan, and more.

Richani: What was it like running for President in the historic 2008 election against Barack Obama and John McCain?

Nader: Like climbing a steep cliff with a slippery rope. It’s very hard to get on ballots in most states. New Jersey is fairly easy, but they position you on the ballot is not very accessible. Pennsylvania is very tough. You have to face harassing lawsuits by the Democrats. Not so much 2008, but 2004 [Presidential Election]. In the Summer of 2004, the Democrats sued us 24 times in 18 states. And that wasn’t the only thing they did. They harassed us. They had officials disqualify our signatures on an arbitrary basis. We’re on a major reform now to level the [political] playing field more and let independent and third party candidates be able to have more access to the voters. It gives the voters more choices that way.

Richani: Do you plan on running for President again in 2012?

Nader: It’s too early to say. I want to see voters have a chance to vote for progressive agenda at the Presidential level. It would be nice if someone else did it.

Richani: I’d imagine it’s tough.

Nader: Yeah [Nods in agreement].

Richani: Now I know you started a foundation related to sports called The League of Fans. Can you tell me about that?

Nader: We’re reviving it. Fans are ripped off. Really. They are ripped off in parking, tickets, seat licenses. They are so ripped off that most people can’t afford to go to a football game for example. And second, the fans are forced to pay for stadiums, while clinics, schools, and libraries are crumbling for lack of repairs. The stadiums are a grotesque aversion. We want to bring attention to that across the country. And third, the sports pages should be renamed as spectator sports pages because we’ve been turned into spectators instead of participatory. In most cities, the recreational areas are not well-maintained, meanwhile, the stadiums are gleaming. So I want to emphasize more participatory sports.

Richani: Understood. Now I saw your letter to NBA Commissioner David Stern on The League of Fans website, following the Tim Donaghy betting scandal. [Editor's Note: Tim Donaghy was a former NBA referee that allegedly bet on games he officiated and has information that may be true or false, regarding how officials would unfairly call basketball games. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison.] And I remember you specifically mentioned Game Six of the 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers…..

Nader: (Laughs) You remember?

Richani: I think we can agree that was probably the worst officiated game in professional sports history. I don’t know if you heard, but Donaghy is supposedly releasing his book with a new publisher and is set to expose “secrets” about the NBA.

Nader: Oh really? I didn’t know that.

Richani: I just wanted your thoughts on Tim Donaghy and if you believe he was one rogue official or if it goes deeper than that.

Nader: I don’t know. Just circumstantially, it was extremely suspicious. And there was a motive for it. The plausible motive was to [the big market team] Los Angeles [Lakers] back home [and to the NBA Finals]. And then [David] Stern said he was going to investigate. It seemed like a pretty superficial investigation.

Richani: Do you feel like gambling in sports can be completely prevented?

Nader: Not completely prevented but minimized. Gambling’s always going to be there. You can quarantine it from affecting the actual game.

Richani: One last question. What are your future plans the next couple of years, outside of potentially running again in 2012?

Nader: Well, I want to see if some of the super-rich can have conferences to follow up the the book (Only the Super-Rich can Save Us) and get ready to move themselves to a high level of action. And my team and I are involved in a lot of the legislation in Capitol Hill with the financial regulation and healthcare issues. We’re trying to arouse people across the country by giving them a sense of their own power. If they had a sense of their own power, then they would have power instead of “You can’t fight City Hall” syndrome.

Special thanks to Ralph Nader, Nader’s representatives, and Brookdale Community College for their time and cooperation. Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us is available online and in stores now.

On a personal note, I found Mr. Nader to be incredibly down-to-earth, extremely intelligent, passionate, genuine, and caring about the problems that plague the United States of America. Forget Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Ralph Nader is the People’s Champion in my book.

Submitted by Fred Richani on Thu, 12/10/2009 - 18:54