Skip navigation
Site powered by
Latest news:
msnbc.com: Top msnbc.com headlines: Arab League wants UN peacekeepers in Syria

Whole new ballgame with Obama as president

Basketball, not baseball, will be sport of choice at White House now

Image: The First FanAP
President-elect Barack Obama wears a Chicago White Sox baseball cap while dropping off his children at school in Chicago. Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative, American presidents have tended to have one thing in common: They love their sports.

Obama smiled after he said that. But for those who think his opinion won't have an impact, they might want to remember where the forward pass came from.

The flying wedge was all the rage in college football in the 1890s and early 1900s, a mass formation that was simple, successful - and shockingly violent. After 18 players died and 149 were seriously injured during the 1905 season, President Teddy Roosevelt demanded something be done. His meetings with officials from Harvard, Princeton and Yale led to the formation of the NCAA.

That, in turn, led to the outlawing of the flying wedge - and the introduction of the forward pass.

Obama also talked on the campaign trail about making sure colleges are enforcing Title IX in both academics and athletics. His daughters, he said in June, play sports and are "the beneficiaries of the doors Title IX opened.''

There are other sports-related issues the future president cares about, Giannoulias said. Like tackling the growing childhood obesity rate. Keeping steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs out of athletics, a pet cause of his presidential opponent, John McCain, and even President Bush, who once mentioned steroids and sports in a State of the Union Address.

"There are issues within the sporting world, the athletic realm that are going to be important, and I think he'd have a good perspective on it,'' Giannoulias said.

Olympic types are also hoping Obama will travel to Copenhagen next year to sell Chicago to the International Olympic Committee. The Windy City is a finalist to host the 2016 Games, and Obama has already made several pitches for the cause.

The Olympic stadium would only be a few blocks from Obama's South Side home, and he's already imagined what it would be like to finish his second term by welcoming the world to his adopted hometown.

"I can't think of a better way than to be marching into Washington Park,'' he said this summer, " ... and announcing to the world, 'Let the games begin.'''

© 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


< Prev | 1 | 2

advertisement
More news
Image: Pekingese Palacegarden Malachy trots in ring at the 135th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York
Reuters
Pekingese favored to be top dog

Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.

NY cable dispute blacks out Knicks, 4 NHL teams

NEW YORK (AP) - As the glow fades from the Giants' Super Bowl triumph, some New York sports fans are tuning in to basketball and hockey, with the Rangers in first place and the Knicks' overnight sensation, Jeremy Lin, sparking "Lin-sanity.''

Image:
AP
Six new breeds will join show at Westminster

Robins: This year, six new breeds will be making their debut on the green carpet for the Westminster Dog Show, which begins Monday.

Slide show
Image: Snee, 8, son of New York Giants player Chris Snee and head coach Coughlin's grandson plays in the confetti after the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots in the NFL Super Bowl XLVI football game in Indianapolis
  The Week in Sports Pictures
The Giants on top of the football world, getting ready for the London Olympics and more.

more photos

Slideshow
Boston Celtics v Indiana Pacers
  Who's hot on Twitter?
Check out which of your favorite athletes have the best pages and most followers!

NBCSports.com

Special feature
"American Woman: Fashioning A National Identity" Met Gala - Arrivals
When athletes and celebs get together
A look at the many links between sports and Hollywood stars.

NBCSports.com

Slideshow
Image: To match Special Report CAMPAIGN/ROMNEY-OLYMPICS
  Presidential candidates and sports
How do President Obama and his Republican rivals stack up when it comes to their sports backgrounds?