While sports and politics (primarily political campaigns) have both long been a passion for me, it’s rather odd to see how the two, while different, are becoming more alike.

In the South, college football is a passion. We live and die with it each Saturday during the fall. Yet, no matter how much we enjoy it we never truly learn to accept defeat graciously.

How often do we blame the officials when our team loses? It will never be a case of the opposing team was simply better. No, they cheated, the refs cheated, the television commentators were really pulling for the other team. You know you are guility of it just as much as I am.

It’s gotten that way in politics. If our preferred candidate loses, then it’s because the other side cheated. The election was rigged. Boxes full of extra votes mysteriously appear out of thin air. The people counting the votes were for the other side.

What happened following the 2020 election was a disgrace. We all know that although many still try to convince us what we saw with our own eyes wasn’t really happening.

At one time in political races, we supported our candidate of choice, voted for him or her on election day and then accepted the outcome. It didn’t mean we were happy about it, but we knew the outcome was now in the history books.

I fear what may happen in this year’s presidential election, regardless of who wins. One side is going to be madder than mad and they aren’t going to accept the outcome.

There will be cries of illegal voting and the other side doing everything underhanded in the book.

There was a time when the day after election day meant the election for that year is over. We all moved on with our lives and simply waited until it was election time again.

Not anymore.

When we wake up on Nov. 6 in a few weeks who knows what will have happened or what will happen when it comes to the losing side.

The best advice in football when our team loses is to start looking ahead to the following week. It’s what I try to do. Afterall, there are more important things to worry about.

The same should go for elections. If our side loses then start looking ahead to the next time we vote. There will always be another election.

Still, it’s never easy being a good loser.

Chris Bridges is managing editor of The Walton Tribune. Email comments about this column to chris.bridges@waltontribune.com.