Political Draft: 25 Athletes Who Need To Run For Office

Donna de Varona

Donna de Varona started her career early, and never slowed down. As an athlete, de Varona was a champion swimmer who made the 1960 U.S. Olympic team at 13. She then won gold at the 1964 Olympics, setting many records on her way. De Varona retired from swimming in 1965.

This remarkable woman began her broadcasting career when she was 17, on ABC’s Wide World of Sports. She graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in political science in 1986. Currently, de Varona is a sportscaster and advocate.

De Varona has too many accomplishments to list here, so here are some highlights. She was on the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports for five terms. Five administrations invited her to be a member of sports-related Presidential Commissions. Furthermore, she served on the 2002 Commission on Opportunity in Athletics that reexamined Title IX. De Varona helped prevent the rollbacks that the biased majority of the commission members wanted.

Donna de Varona served as President of the Women’s Sports Foundation. She has been a member of the Women’s World Cup and the Soccer Tournament organizing committee. Also, she was on the Special Olympics International executive committee and the International Olympic Committee’s Women and Sports Commission. In addition, de Varona served on the Department of State’s Empowerment of Girls and Women through Sports Council. That was under Hillary Clinton, so it’s probably a thing of the past.

This January, de Varona received the Theodore Roosevelt Meritorious Achievement Award from the United States Sports Academy. It’s for athletes who dedicate their lives to making the world a better place.

She’s used to hard work, politics and being in the spotlight. So Donna de Varona is a perfect candidate for any office. Please run for president–your country needs you.