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The Oklahoma City Thunder won the NBA title on Sunday night by defeating a determined, gutsy Indiana Pacers squad in the deciding Game 7 of what was an excellent championship series. Obviously, the Thunder were helped immeasurably by the devastating injury to Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton in the first quarter — a blow from which Indiana never recovered.
But even with a fully healthy roster, the Pacers were facing an uphill battle — largely because the game took place inside the Thunder’s home arena, the Paycom Center, where a raucous crowd was doing everything it could to make life miserable for the road team. Every time Indiana brought the ball up the court, they were met with a wall of sound. As a result of the fired-up crowd, the referees were almost certainly going to give the Thunder a generous whistle — because NBA officials have long showed an unconscious bias towards the home team. Whenever the Thunder made two or three consecutive baskets, Indiana was at risk of getting blown out of the game — because home teams generally have a way of seizing on momentum.
Under those circumstances, it was always going to be tough for Indiana to pull off the victory — Haliburton or no Haliburton. But that didn’t stop them from lacing up their sneakers and giving a great effort. Rather than fold up their tent and go home, at least they gave themselves a chance. At least they fought.
Right now, the vast majority of national Democrats seem to think it’s better to forfeit the game rather than play on the Republicans’ home court. Because there is no getting around the fact that Republicans have the home court advantage in the American political sphere. The voters decided that in November. And that means Democrats must play on their court, or not at all. And that means showing up on the cable news network preferred by the Republican Party — Fox News.
For Democrats right now, not appearing on Fox News is tantamount to waving a white flag. In the cable news sphere, Fox News is where all the action is happening. It’s the network everyone is watching. It’s the network where every major Republican consistently appears. In President Donald Trump’s America, it’s the only cable news platform that matters.
And yet on Monday, as Democrats were screaming about Trump having launched a military strike on Iran without Congressional authorization, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) took time out to appear on the progressive MeidasTouch podcast. It was one of numerous appearances the most powerful Democrat in the House of Representatives has made on that platform — making clear he thinks it’s one of the most effective places to get his message out. But while that left-leaning outfit has done well to establish itself as a worthy venue for Democratic guests, it is an echo chamber — pure and simple.
This is not to say that there’s no value for Jeffries to speak to the MeidasTouch’s left-wing audience. Obviously, it’s important to keep your fan base engaged. They fill up your coffers so that you can improve your roster. They hold you accountable, making sure you’re performing at your best. And someday, when you have the home court, a fired-up fan base can help you create a difficult environment for your opponent.
But right now in the American political strata, MeidasTouch is a pep rally. Fox News is the game. And really, what’s the point of a pep rally when you’re not even playing the game?
And here’s the thing: Whether they realize it or not, Democrats already are on Fox News — but only in the form of caricatures. Their worst soundbites are played on loop. Their past scandals are dredged up repeatedly. Their most extreme members are elevated. (A search on the media monitoring service Snapstream showed Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) has been mentioned roughly twice as much on Fox News as Jeffries over the last month.) They are made to look like fools without any pushback.
If Democrats show up on Fox News, at least they will be represented by their best players rather than their benchwarmers. (Even if it’s a bit unclear who those players are, at this moment.) At least they can score a few points. At least they can look themselves in the mirror and know they tried.
A few Democrats recognize this. Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) often turns up on Fox News and is a proponent of his party colleagues appearing on the network.
“If half the country is watching and we gotta win 50% plus one, how can you reach anybody when you’re not talking where they go?” Moskowitz told Axios in December.
But even those like Moskowitz who do limit their appearances to the hard news programs like the Bret Baier-helmed Special Report and the Shannon Bream-led Fox News Sunday. That’s not enough. Democrats have to suck it up and go all the way into the lion’s den. That means Jesse Watters Primetime. That means Fox & Friends. And yes, that means Hannity.
And sure, it’s likely not going to go well for the Democrats who go on those Fox News opinion shows. A host might play a soundbite that makes them look ridiculous, or they could get cut off in the middle of their argument — while the host gets the unchallenged last word. That’s what happens when you have to play on the road.
But so what? It’s better to get blown out by 50 points than to not even show up. Maybe the team will develop the character and toughness they need to win next season. Maybe a young player will hone their skills and become a star. (Pete Buttigieg, whose stature unquestionably elevated with successful Fox News hits, can attest to this — as one recent poll showed him as the top 2028 Democratic presidential contender.) Right now, only good can come from going on Fox News, because the Democratic Party has hit rock bottom.
But many in the party, like Jasmine Crockett, don’t seem to think so.
“People that watch Fox News have their minds made up about the type of rhetoric that they want to listen to,” Crockett told Axios in December. She added, “God bless those that go on there, but I don’t think that we’re really changing the minds of the people that have decided that they want to watch that bullshit.”
First off, Crockett incorrectly assumes that Fox News viewers are the only people who consume Fox News content. In a media landscape where social media clippers have become omnipresent, Fox News’s reach extends far beyond the millions of viewers watching each day on television.
But more importantly, changing minds is not the only reason to visit the unfriendly confines of Fox. It’s all about competing. It’s about showing your restless fan base that you’re going to go down swinging.
Because there is only one thing worse than being a loser — and that’s being a quitter.
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This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.