By Catherine Laroche

It’s starting to become a trend in politics for athletes to step down from the plate and up to the podium.
Jesse “The Body” Ventura and bodybuilder turned actor Arnold Schwarzenegger both used their popularity in sports to help hold a political position.
So, what would the country be like if a University of Louisville coach and athlete were elected President and Vice President of the United States of America?
The Louisville Cardinal polled 240 students on exactly that matter.
U of L men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino won the presidential vote by a landslide with approximately 84 percent of the vote. Women’s basketball coach Jeff Walz took the runner-up spot with about six percent.
Junior accounting major Kerry Griesinger voted for Pitino because of his success with the U of L basketball team and his contributions to increasing school spirit are creating a better reputation for U of L.
“Rick Pitino has passion, enthusiasm, leadership, and loyalty toward the University of Louisville Cardinals,” Griesinger said. “I believe he would translate these characteristics toward the nation as a whole, something that is not seen in today’s political setting.”
Senior forward Terrance Williams topped the Vice-Presidential election with 35 percent of the votes, while senior quarterback Hunter Cantwell came in second with about 26 percent.
Junior equine business major Liz Young said she was surprised Williams beat Cantwell for Vice President but didn’t vote for either.
“I voted for Angel [McCoughtry] because she’s an amazing player and our women’s basketball [program] doesn’t get as much attention as it deserves,” Young said.
Senior sociology major Mike Oghia favored Cantwell in the election.
“I really feel like Hunter Cantwell embodies the spirit of the student athlete,” Oghia said. “I know when I was doing this poll, I was actually thinking ‘Who are these people and who would I vote for [if this were real]?'”
Many students came up with creative ways for Pitino and Williams to increase votes.
“They’d do some witty slogan like ‘Take a dunk with Pitino’ or  ‘Get hooked with Pitino because he can get America through hoops’ or something stupid like that, and everyone would think it’s hilarious and vote for them,” Oghia said.
“I’m sure Pitino would get Michael Jordan to endorse him,” Oghia said.
Pitino and Williams aren’t ready to turn in basketball for politics, but it wouldn’t be a shock if the two joined the athlete to politics trend in the future.