Five Minutes With: Adonal Foyle

Adonal Foyle is not your average campus organizer. He’s not your average anything, for that matter. At 6’10’’ 275 lbs, Adonal is the starting center for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. And in his spare time, Adonal, who just turned 30 last week, founded Democracy Matters – a national student organization devoted to campaign finance reform. A native of the Caribbean, Adonal grew up on the tiny island of Canouan and didn’t touch a basketball until the age of 15. A few years later, he moved to the United States with the help of two Colgate University professors who recognized that his raw basketball talent could help him get to America and earn a good education. After excelling in high school, Adonal made the unorthodox decision to attend Colgate, a small liberal arts college, rather than one of the traditional basketball schools. He wanted to be a student first and a basketball player second.

Adonal broke numerous records during his college career and in 1997, during his junior year, was selected by the Warriors in the first round of the NBA draft. He continued his undergraduate studies and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in history in 1999. During his six years in the NBA, Adonal has become as well known for his citizenship off the court as his athletic prowess on the court.

Campus Progress caught up with Adonal at a Warriors’ practice session before their recent game in Washington.

CP: Let’s start with the obvious question: What’s an NBA basketball player doing starting an organization devoted to campaign finance reform?

AF: Getting into the NBA depends on how good a basketball player you are, on merit, not on how much money you have or who you know. In sports we expect a level playing field with talent, not money, winning out. The election of our representatives should at least be as fair as sports. We need to change the system of financing campaigns so we can elect people on the basis of their ideas and talents – not the size of their check books, as is true today. Our representatives should play by the rules of democracy, which means being accountable to the citizens, not to the wealthy contributors.

CP: Talk to me about the influence of money in politics. How do you see it corrupting the political process and democracy more generally?

AF: Today, democracy is at risk because money rules the political agenda. Things I care about – the environment, civil rights, poverty, education – are sidelined because rich funders set the political agenda in their own interests, rather than in the interests of the people as a whole. The solution to this is the public financing of elections which would cost only a tiny fraction of our budget, but would ensure that anyone with political support and good ideas could run for office. Public financing of elections would offer all of us fairness, accountability and a real choice when we go to vote.

CP: Is public financing of elections really an achievable solution?

AF: Actually, something is already being done. Maine, Arizona and other states have “Clean Elections” – systems of full public financing for state elections. And they are working! This fair funding of elections is being fought for because regular citizens are tired of government owned by the rich.

CP: What’s the solution and how can students play a role?

AF: Students have a huge role to play in this fight, and Democracy Matters, the organization I founded four years ago which now has chapters on 85 campuses nationwide, is getting students engaged and active to play their part in deepening democracy.

CP: Were you involved in progressive politics at Colgate? If so, what were some of the things you did?

AF: I was involved in service work as an undergrad – soup kitchens, talking to kids about balancing sports with academics. But now I realize the importance of adding real political involvement to this kind of good work. Democracy Matters shows that really solving our problems has to involve changing the way our political system is funded so that we can make the promise of democracy real. I hope your readers will join us.

CP: If you had to pick one of your NBA colleagues to be the next president, who would it be? Shaq, Lebron, Kukoc, Sprewell?

AF: I would have to say Grant Hill – he’s smart, articulate, well-rounded, and has a good head on his shoulders. Not that any of those qualities are a prerequisite for becoming president these days.

CP: Who is harder to guard? Shaq or Tim Duncan?

AF: Shaq. He’s just a lot bigger than I am. I’m 6’10 on a good day and he’s what? 7’2?