Quin Hillyer on the American Spectator Blog today:

I hate to say it, but I think conservative activists have become like hometown sports fans who so desperately want their team to win that they see EVERYthing through the lens that shows their team as being the best — and that therefore sees ANY loss or setback as the result of an unfair third party, like a bad referee, or something.

Me, In Liberty four years ago:

While it greatly simplifies life, believing in a political narrative makes one’s political affiliation the equivalent of one’s favorite sports team. I am from Knoxville, the home of the Vols (short for Volunteers), the football team of the University of Tennessee (UT). “Vol Fever,” as it is sometimes called, saturates the air starting in late summer, as palpable as an August heat wave. The blistering heat and humidity of east Tennessee usually subside sometime in September, but Vol Fever lasts until January. As a UT fan, I “know” that when a Volunteer linebacker is flagged for a late hit, he is a the victim of a bad call — no, an egregious call. I also know that when a UT receiver bobbles the ball in the end zone, he definitely held it long enough to score a touchdown. The fans on the other side — cheering for a hated rival such as Florida or Alabama — are just as convinced of the opposite reality. I have come to believe the narrative of the Vols, and fans of rival teams have learned to believe their own teams’ narratives, by cultural osmosis.