Jack Kemp, who died of cancer on Saturday, was an important figure in recent political and economic history. A congressman who became a supply-sider, he sponsored the Kemp-Roth tax cuts, which launched the prosperity of the 1980s; he also ran for vice president. But the New York Times email alert reporting his death was titled “Jack Kemp, Former Quarterback and Congressman, Is Dead.”

Our deeds outlive us, but especially when they have to do with sports.