I ran across this on Netflix.  It's about the 2002 mayoral race in Newark, NJ.  (Cory Booker was a tight end at Stanford).

http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Street_Fight/70044385?trkid=504326

Though I've seen some documents kicking around on the Web that identify Cory Booker as a tight end, I believe that's a mistake -- I think he was a running back, mostly on Denny Green's teams. He played some, but I don't believe he ever started, at least not consistently. I seem to recall that he made some all-academic teams (he was a Rhodes scholar), and perhaps he was even an academic all-American. But he certainly didn't make any all-star teams that were based solely on football ability.

Booker may never have been a college all-american, but as much as I like Tommy Vardell (choosing a player from the same era who had greater success on the field), I'd rather have Cory Booker as a football-team alumnus than Tommy. (OK, I'd really like to have both of them, but if I had to choose just one...)

Rhodes Scholars are better than first-team all-americans.

If I recall correctly, Cory Booker was a back-up tight end. The media guide shows that he lettered in 1989 and 1990. I think he might have made Academic All Pac 10. He wasn't an All American at Stanford.

By the way, I don't think Tommy Vardell is the best guy to pick to draw a contrast with Cory Booker. Vardell had some pretty good academic achievements himself. He got an engineering degree and was an Academic All American. He was named the GTE Academic All American of the Year. (I believe that award is now sponsored by ESPN the Magazine.)

Street Fight is a great movie, and I really encourage all of you to see it. It's astounding to see what Cory has to go up against in a charismatic, corrupt incumbent who pulls every dirty trick against the Booker, including: having police shut down his meetings and intimidate his supporters, playing the race card against the light-skinned Booker, and blatant slandering like stating that Cory is tied to Al Qaeda.

Booker also shows a naivete that comes from spending a lot of time in intellectual environments: because he values reason above emotional appeal, he assumes the voters will do the same. He seems to eschew useless photo ops which is exactly where his opponent shines.

The movie is fascinating in its depiction of the mayoral race and also the opposing strategies of going after the head vs the heart of voters. Cory's weaknesses in this documentary are reminiscent of ones that appear all too often in Stanford grads, intellectuals, and Democrats.

It certainly appears that since that documentary that Cory has become more media savvy, as evidenced by his appearances on late night talk shows, especially his New Jersey "feud" with Conant.

But yeah, he wasn't all that great of a football player...

Those who enjoy Street Fight will enjoy The Wire, Seasons Three and Four. And really, in order to enjoy those two seasons, you have to watch the preceding two. So basically, I'm trying to get you all to watch all of the Wire. Just do it. Trust me.