It would be quixotic — at best — to pursue hard data. You want it to be there, sure, almost like an impending ambulance: to provide assurance, answers and a quick pick-me-up. But there's no way to truly quantify the effect sports played in the recent election, except to acknowledge some level of contribution and perhaps more importantly to use sports' inherent virtues as a beacon.

Here is what we know sports and their dramatis personae accomplished: They pumped up the volume. On everything: Racial inequality is no longer acceptable. They turned "shut up and dribble" into "shut up and vote." They transformed downtown arenas into voting sanctuaries. The message was constant, consistent, cooperative and clear.

Jerry Brewer, a brilliant columnist at the Washington Post, said it perfectly:

"The building of this motley coalition in sports, one that transcended partisan passion, mirrored what happened throughout the nation," he wrote. "Instead of being frightened by polarity within their diverse fan bases, teams opted to consider their moral responsibility. They had to do so. The players demanded it.

"And here's the thing that Trump and many others ignored when they disparaged and brushed aside some of the country's greatest icons: They are not disposable. They are singular. They cannot be fired simply for voicing their concerns. And considering our deep love of sports, they cannot be boycotted by large enough numbers, either. Not for pleading for the police to stop killing unarmed Black citizens. Not for encouraging folks to vote. Not for challenging America to be America."

Once again with feeling: They transcended partisan passion, despite polarity within their bases and considered their moral responsibility. And so I ask: What if our country, as we attempt to move forward, used sports as a model?

Think about it: Not everyone in sports has the same beliefs. The same moral codes. They're human. Yet look what happened: Players, owners, officials and everyone else tethered to the games we play understood the underlying concepts of humanity, perhaps despite varying levels of commitment. Some, for example, still stood for the Star Spangled Banner. Some didn't. But somewhere, there was a baseline of unity. Everybody challenged the vagaries of "partisan passions" for the greater good.

I know. There goes my hopeless idealism again galloping from the barn. Still, I must say that in the wake of election results, you're all making me nauseous. There's gloating from the left, acting like new money. So much for Michelle Obama's "when they go low, you go high" counsel. There's grousing from the right, thus proving they can be haughty in victory (2016) and malicious in defeat (2020).

Twitter, Facebook and the HCS (Human Comments Section) have become echo chambers for Mussolini's famous line, "O con noi o contro di noi." (You're with us or against us). Not exactly fodder for singing from the same page of the hymn book. So as Archie liked to tell Edith: How about you all stifle yourselves?

Because those of us — the few, the proud — who honestly want to move forward see the wheels continue to spin furiously but with no traction.

Sports can give us the metaphorical traction. If we're interested. Or do we just want to be miserable?

More Brewer:

"In sports, people must respect truth. In triumph and failure, they must get to the why, analyze even the ugly stuff and grow," he wrote. "Reality must be accepted, no matter how hard to swallow, because the next challenge is imminent. The best teams learn and perfect. The worst ones whine and lie to themselves. Winning is a pursuit, not a promise. And losing isn't only fodder for grievance. It clarifies how to be successful."

Winning is a pursuit, not a promise. It means that you practice good habits even when you don't feel like it. (Just because someone voted for Trump doesn't make him or her an idiot. So be nice.)

Losing isn't only fodder for grievance. It clarifies how to be successful. It means the universe just did you a favor by exposing your warts. Now fix them. (Perhaps your patron saint's election loss suggests that espousing his beliefs calls for immediate introspection.)

Or we can keep on the current path and opt out of any hint of esprit de corps.

Sports give us a blueprint. If we're willing to partake.

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro