The Roman Colosseum, LSU Tiger Stadium, And Louisiana’s Lack of Civic Engagement

What do the Roman Colosseum, LSU Tiger Stadium, and the Senate election of June 27, 2026 have to do with one another? A lot!

Think of the Roman Colosseum — not as history but as a mirror.

The Roman Colosseum was completed in 80 AD. It seated up to 80,000 spectators.  For 400 years, it was used to entertain the people of Rome and to distract them from the real issues facing the empire and their own future. 

The Colosseum was the pinnacle of Roman Emperors’ and politicians’ tactic of using “bread and circuses” to pacify the people.

An estimated 500,000 people, including early Christians, were killed there and more than one million animals. Apparently, over time, that works to draw a crowd.

Our Own Colosseum. LSU Tiger Stadium is one of the largest stadiums in the world. It seats 102,321 people. But on game day as many as 200,000 additional people come onto the LSU campus for the incredible scene.  Estimates range from 250,000 to 300,000 on campus at one time.

But Saturday night at Tiger Stadium is not about one day.

For weeks, people prepare for game day.  New clothing is purchased. Food is ordered and prepared.  RV’s and other vehicles are decorated and made ready for tailgating. Families plan their schedule around going to Baton Rouge.  Millions of dollars are spent on concessions. Businesses gear up to try to get some of the spillover.

The LSU coach is paid $91 million with many bonuses available. LSU players are paid as much as $4 million or more a year to play college football, a sport that has suddenly become professional.

For us in Louisiana, Tiger Stadium on Saturday nights is the pinnacle of our Louisiana “community.”  For a few hours, there is the illusion that we are “one people.”

Then the game is over and people fight the crowds and the traffic to return home.

Yet, all the problems in our city and state remain.

The athletic complex at LSU is lavishly appointed.  Fit for a king. Actually, few kings in history have enjoyed such a level of luxury. The investments in the athletic complex flow in, seemingly without end.

Yet, a few blocks away, our streets are full of potholes.  The grass on public spaces is unmowed.  The woody waste is rarely picked up. In Baton Rouge alone, more than 5,000 houses are empty and blighted. Dependence and grinding poverty embrace much of our population.

Manufactured Unity. The investment in athletic facilities concentrates great wealth while important matters of state are underfunded or not funded at all. Examples are the lack of mental hospitals in this state and the desperate need for a new parish jail, not to mention our broken infrastructure.

Yes, for a few moments we are “Tiger Nation.”  But are we really?

Turnout on Saturday night at Tiger Stadium is amazing? Almost every seat is often filled!

However, unfortunately, when we have an election, most people are suddenly very busy and AWOL. They have family commitments or whatever. The sense of “community” is suddenly gone.

The Roman Colosseum was and Tiger Stadium is a ritual of unity. It is a great spectacle, and we are the spectators.

But citizenship is not a spectator sport.  Every citizen has a role to play and voting is a very important part of that role.

Both the Roman Colosseum and Tiger Stadium pander to our tendency to be distracted by bright and shiny things while ignoring what is really important.

Yes, most people are too busy to vote, and fewer still actually take time to study the candidates and cast an informed, intelligent vote.

The governor’s race in 2023 is a case in point.  In the first primary Oct. 23, 2023, only 36.3 per cent of registered voters actually voted.  Of those, Jeff Landry received 51.6 percent. This means he was elected by 17.8 percent of registered voters!

Imagine that! 62.2 percent of voters failed to vote at all in the governor’s race!  How pathetic!

In the 2023 governor’s race, only 1,060,000 people bothered to vote out of 2.9 million.  One political scientist said it was the most apathetic and least interested electorate he’s ever seen.   It was the lowest number of votes cast for governor in at least the past 50 years.

The governor is the most powerful person in the State of Louisiana. He may be the most powerful governor in the country.  But people don’t care enough to vote on it.  

Okay, I’ve got it!  People are really, really busy. Too busy to vote!

I also know the standard response. “There’s not a dime’s worth of difference!”

Really? So that’s why you didn’t vote?  For governor?  What about all the other things on the ballot down to dog catcher?  Not a dime’s worth of difference in any of them?

Not long ago, I asked an employee of a federal agency why her colleagues didn’t do their job.  She surprised me with her answer:

“Dey lazy ass!”

Yes, they are!

And if you don’t bother to vote, so are you!

Contrast the sea of people at Tiger Stadium and outside tailgating to the lonely polling place where a few commissioners and a handful of voters are waiting to do their civic duty.

We treat athletes as a big deal but the ordinary citizen who works hard everyday, pays his bills, pays his taxes, and votes on election day is a nobody.

As citizens, we have many responsibilities. It’s the price of freedom and living in this beautiful land.

That’s why we at the Central City News run story after story about the candidates and what they stand for.  So you will know!

That brings me to the Republican and Democratic runoffs for United States Senate on June 27, 2026. The Senate was and still is hanging in the balance. It could go either way.  Every important policy decision in our country is on the line.  So is the security of our country.

Yet, only 25 percent of Republicans voted and 17 percent of Democrats voted for United States Senate! 

That means 75 percent of the Republicans stayed home and didn’t vote, and 83 percent of Democrats stayed home and didn’t vote.

You lazy asses out there need to wake up.  The future of our country and of your family is at stake.

Turnout vs. Turnout. The turnout at Tiger Stadium is fantastic. It is wonderful for a moment and then it is gone with no lasting impact. The turnout at the ballot box has a lasting impact on the destiny of our country.

A spectacle can be a shared ritual of unity but it should not be the only time we are together. The voting precinct where we decide the future should be a place that truly brings us together.

Of course, the powers that be in our state love that we love the stadium and the roar of the crowd. They also love that they have us focused on that and not the serious issues we face as a state and nation.

The bottom line is: LSU football and sports in general are great.  But they are not God and they are far less important than the future of our country. So while cheering for the Tigers, keep your eye on the ball!

If you truly love our state, you won’t just go to a game. You will report for duty on election day, and vote!

If you’re not going to vote, at least have the decency to shut up and not complain about anything ever! 

If you’re not going to vote, please call the Registrar of Voters and take your name off the voting rolls, so your absence on election day won’t add to the public spectacle of our apathy!