(From the Florida State News Online)
Obama’s impact
Last week, America saw history made as the nation swore in the 44th president of the United States of America, Barack Obama. With the nation in a recession and at war, not only did President Obama become the nation’s first black president, but he will also have to deal with problems for which there are no precedents.
In light of the new president’s love of sports, two-thirds of the sports editing staff at the FSView & Florida Flambeau decided to give their two cents on what they’re looking forward to with the new president.
Brett Jula
Sports Editor
The theme for President Obama throughout his trek to the White House has been change.
We’re going to change the way we work, change the way we spend our money, change the way other countries view the United States and, perhaps, change the American landscape forever.
In our case, as sports writers, we’re anxious to see how Obama will change the culture of sports in our country. I’m particularly interested to see the effect Obama’s presidency will have on a sport both he and I hold close to our hearts.
Many presidents throughout history have made their relationships with their favorite sport well documented over the years. John F. Kennedy was a huge football fan, while Richard Nixon’s passion for bowling led to a bowling alley being put in the White House.
And, of course, there was George W. Bush’s love for the American pastime of baseball.
Obama, despite being the 44th president, is really the first one to have a strong love for the sport of basketball, has made it known to the general public.
So the question remains: Will the wiry left-hander with the silky-smooth jumper have an impact on the game he loves so much?
We’re all aware of the crisis the United States faces today – a war overseas that gets worse by the day and a $10 trillion deficit, where Obama will likely have to spend a trillion more dollars just to give the economy the slightest jolt.
That’s why I’m not asking Obama to go out of his way to make an impact on a sport that’s lost a lot of its luster since the days of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Rather, I’m hoping a man of Obama’s status and intellect will inspire basketball players to stay in school and put education first.
We’ve seen so many kids throw their education away in recent years, and frankly, it’s sad.
Ever hear of Ricky Sanchez, James Lang, C.J. Miles and Leon Smith?
Don’t feel dumb if you haven’t. These kids made the leap to the NBA straight from high school within the last 10 years, and God only knows what these busts are getting themselves into these days. Who knows how high their proverbial ceilings would’ve been had they opted to go to college, get an education and further hone their skills for the next level.
Who knows, maybe Obama’s presidency will give hapless Oregon State’s basketball program a boost in recruiting and prestige since Obama’s brother-in-law, Craig Robinson, is the head coach of the Beavers.
Obama has inspired millions of people just by running for and being elected as president. Hopefully that inspiration will rub off on young, promising basketball stars and get the basketball’s reputation on the upswing again.
Cameron Mellor
Assistant Sports Editor
Besides the fact that I think Barack Obama will do his best to right the ship that is the United States, I believe Obama will be able to do things for the sports world that no other president or person in power has even dreamt of since Eisenhower or Roosevelt.
Obama, the avid basketball player with the smooth jumper like Brett said, already has plans to not only take out the bowling alley in the White House in favor of a basketball court, he also has put together arguably the best basketball playing cabinet in U.S. history, including 26-year-old former Duke Blue Devil, Reggie Love.
While the debates, the election and the inauguration were widely publicized by the national news networks, you know the man elected to the highest office in the country is a big deal to not only the world itself, but the sports world as well when he is featured on ESPN a couple times a week.
He even was able to get Tiger Woods to speak at one of the inaugural ceremonies, something Tiger adamantly said he wouldn’t do years ago.
ESPN, the world’s largest sports entity, featured the president after the election was over in a one-on-one interview, pick-up basketball game to pick his brain on the sports world.
Among the numerous things Obama said during the interview, one issue that sticks out in particular is the fact that he would like to see a playoff in college football.
Now, some of you might believe that there are more pressing issues in this world rather than a playoff for college football. Although true, I believe that there is no reason, if he were to delegate properly, as to why this could not be done.
He has already said that he would like to go before a congressional hearing in light of Utah’s attorney general pressing anti-trust charges against the BCS following their undefeated season.
So time will tell and we will see, my fellow Americans, whether he will be able to go through with his stance on the playoff system. If there’s anyone that could do that, as well as do his part to help get our nation going in the right direction, I’m pretty sure Obama is our man.
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