The 2016 candidates' Indiana basketball pandering: A definitive scorecard
Indiana lives and dies by basketball, so it should come as no shock that its politics does, too. "Basketball might not be the single deciding factor in any state race, but in Indiana, it puts points on the scoreboard. It wouldn't be a surprise at the end of the day to see victories from candidates who have made the strongest efforts at capitalizing on the statewide love for the sport," The Atlantic recently wrote.
Here at The Week, we've put that to the test. Below is our official Indiana Primary Scorecard, as determined by the show of b-ball love. Jeva Lange
- Donald Trump
Trump holds a wide margin in Hoosier State polls, and he's got the basketball chops to have earned it. Trump is the only candidate to have the official endorsements of three of the state's legendary coaches: former Purdue University coach Gene Keady, former Indiana Hoosiers coach Bobby Knight, and former Notre Dame coach Digger Phelps. While Trump should have won this category in a landslide, he gets docked one point for misspelling Knight's name in a tweet.
Scorecard: Coach endorsements (3 points) - misspelling (-1 point) + making fun of Ted Cruz for saying "basketball ring" ( 1 point) = 3 points - Ted Cruz
Cruz really put in an effort here, but failed to stick the landing. In an elaborately staged campaign speech that referenced the film Hoosiers, Cruz infamously misspoke and called the basketball hoop a "ring." Cruz makes up points for apologizing for the error and pushing that he was actually a b-baller himself in high school.
Scorecard: Hoosier reference (1 point) - "ring" gaffe (-2 points) + former basketballer (1 point) = 0 points - John Kasich
In an effort to stop Trump, Kasich vowed he wouldn't campaign in Indiana. That being said, Kasich might be the only candidate running to have actually shot around with an NBA team.
Scorecard: Benched - Bernie Sanders
Sanders is this election's resident Brooklynite and therefore basketball is in his blood. To the surprise of no one, he put his moves on display for basketball-obsessed Hoosiers at Purdue.
Scorecard: Getting his game on (1 point) = 1 point - Hillary Clinton
In 2010, Clinton wrote an email to an aide asking, "Are you still in basketball-crazed Indianoplace?" Clinton has since apologized for the dismissive attitude, saying "even people in Indiana make that joke." But Indiana hasn't forgotten, Hillary. Indiana never forgets.
Scorecard: "Indianoplace" (-2 points) = -2 points
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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