(From Michael Butterworth at The Agon)
There’s something very interesting about the connections between sports and the new president. For decades, Americans have heard politicians use the language of baseball to invoke themes of national innocence and virtue and the language of football to affirm themes of national strength and conviction. We have not, however, heard much about basketball. With Barack Obama, that appears to be changing.
First, there were the multiple stories about whether or not then-Senator Obama had game. You may recall last spring, when I wrote about Obama taking the ball to the rim during a North Carolina practice. Then came the intrigue over the prospect of the new administration tearing out the White House bowling alley to replace it with a basketball court.
These stories all seemed to be suggesting that there was something about basketball–aesthetics, strategy, or something–that contributed to Obama’s political skill. Oh, and the “race thing.” Yes, it is significant that the “first black president” favors hoops over the gridiron or the diamond.
All of this leads me to last night’s NBA All-Star Game. During halftime, the charity arm of the league–NBA Cares–presented its call to national community service. The highlight most certainly was the video of President Obama. After a bunch of cute kids (read: paid actors) told us that basketball was more than just a game, our Baller-in Chief (?) hailed the lessons basketball “teaches us about life.” Fair enough, I think, as it is evident that there are moments when sports really do help us create better conditions for living in a complex world.
What strikes me most here is the decided shift–away from baseball and football–to basketball. I’m not yet sure what this signifies in rhetorical terms, but I think it’s safe to say it signifies something. Looks like I know what research project is next.
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