If you are a sports fan and looking for something new to watch now that basketball and regular season baseball have wound down, I encourage you to tune in on Nov. 3! Elections—however strange this may sound—are eerily similar to sports, so I have assembled a basic guide to introduce you to the nerd-sports event of the decade, the 2020 presidential election!

Great Commentators

Step aside, Joe Buck. Every four years, election night brings together an all-star cast of sports-style commentators for 24 hours of chaos. Personally, I’d recommend flipping on CNN. Is there anything more exciting than letting Wolf Blitzer walk us through the numerous key race alerts, or watching John King tap furiously at his Magic Wall (it’s an interactive electronic board with election stats from all 50 states)? With sideline reporters hounding the polls across the country, you can feel the same sideline intensity you get in a football game. And when Wolf Blitzer goes to the board to make a projection, you can harness your inner Chris Berman. He could – go – all – the – way!

Top-tier punditry

Remember when Skip Bayless said that Johnny Manziel would be bigger for Cleveland than LeBron James? Neither do I. On election night, get ready for all your favorite pundits to be wrong—again. Except for The New York Times. They always get it right. Remember when they endorsed in the primary and Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren went on to…oh, wait.

Prepare for lead swings

Ever get antsy in a basketball game when the leading team changes three or four times in the span of a few minutes? Well, you’re in luck! In electoral politics, with results being reported by counties with vastly different populations and demographics, lead swings happen all the time! In Florida alone in 2016, there were seven lead changes between the seven and eight p.m. hour. Just hope your candidate isn’t as shaky as the Atlanta Falcons. 

Get Ready for Streaks to be Broken

Sports are filled with streaks, and it turns out elections are too. Take Vigo County, Indiana. Ever heard of it? Didn’t think so, but don’t be fooled, because this county is pretty important. The winner of Vigo County has won every single election since 1956 and only lost two elections since the mid-1800s. This year, for the first time in more than six decades, Vigo County and the electoral college may split. Vigo, along with much of rural Indiana, has been trending towards Republicans the last four years. With a national Republican win, Vigo will certainly stay red and maintain its streak. But if the Democrats win the presidency, Vigo—with its newly partisan swing—may stay red, snapping the county’s 64-year record of excellence. Plus, it gives us a reason besides the corn on our dinner tables to actually care about the state of Indiana.

Bet

In addition to traditional sports, you can also bet your money on politics. Yup, now is the time to sell your soul! Want to make a quick buck on Trump? You can probably get ten to one odds on your investment right now. A one-dollar gamble just bought you a whole Chipotle Burrito Bowl. You’re welcome. And all you lost is your dignity. 

In case it wasn’t clear, this was all mostly satirical. The election is, of course, more important than any sports event could ever be. If you want information about how to vote in Missouri, you can check out this Student Life staff editorial. If you’ve already figured out how you are going to vote and want to learn about what you’ll be deciding, you can find the Student Life ballot primer here.