Is it possible that the connection between President Barack Obama and basketball is getting too much attention and/or hype?
Here’s a comment from Bethlehem Shoals (of FreeDarko) for The Sporting Blog at The Sporting News Online:
So I’m kind of sick of Obama/basketball, but this clip is just too rad to not enjoy. Via Baller-in-Chief, here’s Bill Russell, Magic, Nash, and a few other faces you might recognize breaking down our President’s game. It’s all in good fun—not with much of the “First Basketball President” seriousness you saw around the time of the Inauguration, when basketball scouting all of a sudden became key to understanding this Administration—and involves a lot of talk about Obama’s swagger, or what Russell deems his “Harvard cool.” Also nice to see NBA legends, guys who made this game what it is, breaking down this amateur—though admittedly very famous—hoops enthusiast, instead of Obama being the guy who will deliver professional basketball into the valley of legitimacy.
One thing is certain and it’s that this orchestration (of all-time legends discussing the president) was a major marketing coup for David Stern and the N.B.A. It was a coup for the president too, considering that he also made a public service announcement during halftime of the N.B.A. All Star Game, to a very loud ovation, which was ironic (or something) considering that Senator John McCain and his wife were sitting courtside. What must that have been like for them right now?
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I should clarify: I still like hearing about how basketball fits into Obama’s life. I believe a man’s game tells you a lot about him. And of course I think it’s rad that he’s a knowledgeable hoops fan. I just got sick of reading articles about how everyone in his cabinet played basketball, and thus the government would become one big basketball team, and Obama would be like Magic Johnson. Also, while I know Obama’s fandom is good for the NBA, all he can do is point toward the game that people like Bill Russell made. He’s not actually shaping the sport. It’s the difference between Bruce Springsteen helping draw thousands to a rally and the actual candidate.
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Shoals I agree, things got carried away for a while. I even think it’s overkill to have NBA legends discussing Obama’s game. For one thing, he’s not GREAT at hoops, and no one said he was, and he doesn’t claim to be. He’s good, as are many pick up ballers. He’s probably better than average for the lunchtime Y crowd. But c’mon. I’d rather see a bunch of YMCA guys sitting around on CNN talking about his game. This is the NBA publicity machine doing its thing, but who can blame them?
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