A.G. Gancarski
Gov. Ron DeSantis continues criticize the Sunshine State’s sports culture.
This time around, he took issue with college football in the state, saying the Georgia Bulldogs and the Alabama Crimson Tide are better than the teams in Florida.
The Governor started off by flexing on the Florida Gators’ performance in the Florida-Georgia football game.
“I will say, as somebody who was born and raised in Florida, the Florida-Georgia game was a little easier lift for us back in the day than it is now. And you Georgians know what I mean,” said DeSantis, an alum of Yale University and Harvard Law School.
“So, congratulations on all the success,” DeSantis added. “We’ve done better on almost everything policy-wise. I can point out many things. College football has not necessarily been one of them. So we’re trying to turn the corner.”
The Governor, who played college baseball in the Ivy League, remarked on the irony of congratulating recruits headed out of state to play football.
“I realized this my first year as Governor. I asked my staff to give me letters of congratulations for all Florida’s high school blue-chip football recruits because we’ve got great high school football in Florida. And I’m signing these letters and it’s like, ‘Dear Michael, congratulations on going to the University of Georgia. Congratulations on going to Alabama.’ And I’m like, why congratulate them for leaving our state?” DeSantis said. “That didn’t used to be what it was.”
“So, anyways, Florida-Georgia game, you know, let’s just say I’m going to be, you know, cheering as the Governor, but I am not going to be putting any money on the Gators this year,” DeSantis added.
These comments were offered at “The Gathering,” hosted by friendly conservative commentator Erick Erickson in Atlanta.
This is the second time in recent days he held up other states’ sports cultures as superior to Florida’s. Just days ago, he denigrated the passion of Florida sports fans compared to “Red Sox Nation,” as he remembered it from his Harvard Law days, even as he described Florida’s “great” college football in that instance.
“And that was unlike anything I’ve seen in Florida because, you know, the Bucs have won a couple of Super Bowls. We’ve had other teams do well. We’ve had a lot of great college football and people get excited, don’t get me wrong, but this was just in the bloodstream in New England. And I’ve never seen so many people be so revved up and when they won it, it was like such a big deal,” he said during a Tuesday interview on Boston’s WBZ.
10 comments
Tjb
August 18, 2023 at 3:11 pm
To dust off an old article from A.G.G.
“addressing the New Hampshire GOP at the Amos Tuck Dinner, the Governor suggested Floridians were not proud of the state before he arrived on the political scene.
“I was born and raised in Florida, and it’s only been recently that we’ve developed a sense of state pride ourselves,” DeSantis said.
Sad that DeSantis does not have more pride in our state’s sports teams.
Paul C.
August 20, 2023 at 12:32 am
Totally unnecessary republican dunce
Suze
August 18, 2023 at 4:47 pm
He believes Russia over our CIA too. What an ungrateful prick. Everyone in the UF system should be appalled by one more offensive act by this idiot
RickAxelrod
August 18, 2023 at 5:02 pm
No class, plausible denying, Panderer!
Michael K
August 19, 2023 at 8:21 am
Bless his tiny little heart.
Dale A Arnold
August 19, 2023 at 11:37 am
Florida your his stepping stone period!
He doesn’t care about Florida your just a means to an end! Websters dictionary means to an end… A thing that is not valued or important in itself but is useful in achieving an aim. You’ve been played Florida!!
Ac
August 19, 2023 at 1:02 pm
His comments were not degrading. They were factually accurate. Evidently the author of this piece does not like RD. I am guessing Biden lemming all the way.
Jaxson74
August 20, 2023 at 4:40 pm
It’s nothing new for politicians to make attempts at appealing to their audience that happens to be in the room at the time. It runs the risk, however, of looking like shameless or insincere pandering.
Northern Transplant
August 19, 2023 at 10:59 pm
Hey, Ron. Last I saw, Tampa Bay Lightning have been to and WON several Stanley Cup championships. Last time the Boston Bruins were there?? Boston hasn’t won a Lombardi Trophy for a while, but the Buccaneers have. Celtics haven’t won in a while, but the Miami Heat have had a couple. The Tampa Bay Rays haven’t broken through with a World Series (yet), but they’re in a better position than the Red Sox. Even the local ASL Tampa Bay Rowdies have a couple of championships under their belt. It’s just like your “legislative achievements “, you’re just a top-notch panderer looking to further an agenda that’s NOT embraced by the Florida majority, despite the BS your enablers regurgitate
Mark miller
August 21, 2023 at 7:15 am
He is right , he won’t use his money to bet he will use the taxpayers money. But if he wins he will keep it all. Hey Ronnie your ship is sinking fast.
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