Rep. Burgess Owens and Linda McMahon have both known the shine of some of the brightest lights in American sports entertainment.
Decades prior to representing Utah’s 4th District, Owens played in Super Bowl XV wearing the Oakland Raiders’ silver and black.
McMahon, meanwhile, co-founded the company that would later become World Wrestling Entertainment, WWE, and features grappling titans such as The Rock, Hulk Hogan and John Cena.
But now the two share a connection far beyond the professional gridiron or wrestling ring: Education.
The Utah congressman is a member of the House Education Committee and hopes to soon claim the top Republican spot on that legislative sub-organization.
McMahon, meanwhile, is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Education.
She has a fan in the former NFL defensive back.
Appearing Saturday on Newsmax, Owens said he’s “never been more excited” in his life at the prospect of the former pro wrestling executive filling the education Cabinet position.
“This has been a 40-year mission for me, to bring back the focus on education. And to have a President Trump who understands the priorities we should have. And Linda McMahon being our secretary, I’m very excited about that. And it’s very important we bring innovation to education,” Owens said during Newmax’s “Saturday Report.”
Owens added he expects McMahon to implement Trump’s plan to expand school choice.
“Having choice, meritocracy, finding out the best way,” he said. “The best also means the least cost. That’s what we’ve always been about. Education is the only institution that the free market has not tried. We need to bring that forward and allow innovation from the teachers, true innovators in our administrators and those who care about our kids.”
Who is Linda McMahon?
McMahon, 76, is a prominent member of the first family of professional wrestling. Since its founding decades ago by the McMahons, WWE has become a wildly popular heavyweight in American sports entertainment. Linda McMahon is married to Vince McMahon, although the couple are now reportedly separated and no longer in the wrestling business.
The North Carolina native stepped away from her position as WWE’s chief executive several years ago to enter politics, making unsuccessful bids for a U.S. Senate seat in Connecticut in 2010 and 2012. She was also appointed to serve on the Connecticut State Board of Education in 2009, where she served for a year. She has said she once planned to become a school teacher.
She also spent several years on the board of trustees for Connecticut’s Sacred Heart University.
McMahon has been a Trump loyalist since his successful run for president in 2016, providing millions to his campaigns, The Associated Press reported.
After claiming the White House following his first presidential run, Trump chose McMahon to lead the Small Business Administration, which gives loans and disaster relief to companies and entrepreneurs, and also monitors compliance with contract laws.
When McMahon was chosen, she was praised by the two Connecticut Democrats who defeated her in Senate campaigns. Sen. Richard Blumenthal called her “a person of serious accomplishment and ability,” while Sen. Chris Murphy said she was a “talented and experienced businessperson.”
Unlike some other members of Trump’s first administration, McMahon was not shadowed by scandal or controversy, the AP reported. She frequently promoted his trade and tax policies.
“She has been a superstar,” Trump said when she left the administration in 2019. “The fact is, I’ve known her for a long time. I knew she was good, but I didn’t know she was that good.”
When Trump ran for president this year, McMahon was the co-chair of his transition team. As part of that role, McMahon has been helping to plan Trump’s new administration.
Once he takes office, perhaps McMahon’s biggest task will be to eliminate the agency she was hired to oversee, according to the AP.
Trump has promised to close the Education Department and return much of its powers to states. Trump has not explained how he would close the agency, which was created by Congress in 1979 and would likely require action from Congress to dismantle.
Controversy and the high-flying world of pro wrestling
McMahon’s past and highly profitable leadership in the high-flying, spectacle-driven pro wrestling world was not controversy-free.
A recent New York Times article notes that the WWE has been criticized for promoting violence, steroid use and sexualized content. In recent decades, the WWE has toned down its content — becoming more “PG-rated.”
There have also been several out-of-court settlements involving the company or Vince McMahon, personally.
Most recently, a lawsuit filed in October accused the McMahons of willfully ignoring the sexual abuse of young boys by a WWE ringside announcer, echoing claims made years ago, noted The New York Times report.
Through their lawyers, the McMahons have denied all accusations of wrongdoing.
Lawmakers supporting McMahon during her state school board tenure pointed to the good works of her company. Among other public service programs, WWE encouraged young people to register to vote as part of a Rock the Vote initiative in the 2000s. It also held a WrestleMania reading challenge, according to The New York Times.
Beth Yoke, then an official of the American Library Association’s young adult division, said she contacted WWE because of its popularity among teens. Under the challenge, students who read 10 books and reported on them won a chance to attend a WWE event.
So where does McMahon stand on key education issues?
McMahon posted a statement following her selection to the Education secretary post, pledging to ensure “every student has access to quality education.”
She noted the “transformative power of education” found in the classroom and apprenticeship programs: “I look forward to working collaboratively with students, educators, parents and communities to strengthen our educational system; ensuring every child, regardless of their demographics, is prepared for a bright future.”
But what are McMahon’s stances on key education issues as she presumptively takes charge of an agency Trump has vowed to shutter?
For the last few years, McMahon has been the chair of the board at the America First Policy Institute, a Trump-aligned think tank based in Washington, D.C. On its website, the organization says its approach to education centers around culling federal oversight of schools and slashing federal education funding, according to USA Today.
When Trump announced McMahon would be his Education secretary, he concluded his statement saying, “We will send education back to the states, and Linda will spearhead that effort.”
The Department of Education does not dictate what educators teach in the classroom. Instead, the department’s largest K-12 role is overseeing implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act, which requires states to monitor their schools’ progress and intervene in poorly performing schools in exchange for federal money, including funding from Title I, an $18.4 billion program, according to Education Week.
The department also administers the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act — a $14.2 billion program that helps schools pay for special education services for students with disabilities.
McMahon has been called a “fierce advocate” for parents’ rights who will push to expand universal “school choice” — an umbrella term that refers to expanding education access beyond traditional public schools by making taxpayer-funded vouchers available to everyone, USA Today reported.
The website for America First Policy Institute, which McMahon chairs, said it supports school choice so that every family has the money to send their children to the school that fits their needs.
Critics of the school choice movement say it routes much-needed money away from public schools and unfairly helps richer families. Supporters say making non-public school alternatives more affordable gives parents more options for their children’s education, according to USA Today.
McMahon has also expressed support for college alternatives.
In a recent statement posted on X, she noted: “Apprenticeship programs are a pathway to successful careers. Switzerland provides a model the rest of the world can adapt. They employ apprentices in 230 occupations and most of their CEOs were apprentices.”
McMahon’s advocacy for increased apprenticeships would likely get a thumbs-up for Utah legislative leaders.
In a recent Deseret News interview, Utah Senate President Stuart Adams said embedding more apprentice programs into Utah’s public colleges would offer many students essential skills and work experience that may not be gleaned from traditional classroom courses.