Wonkette: St. Barack of Obama Also Walks On Air
NPR: Obama on the War, Race, and America's Future by Farai Chideya
Finally, we've got a lighter note from David McWeeney. You're going to like this, because you've been described as a really aggressive basketball player back when you were at Harvard. So he wrote, "Senator Obama, you've said that if you become president that you will install a basketball hoop in the White House. Do you happen to know where?" But we did a little digging. It turns out the White House already has a half-court. Will you expand that to a full court, and who are you going to play?
"You know, I was just with Charles Barkley a couple of days ago. He came down to Birmingham to campaign with me, and Alonzo Mourning is doing an event for me down in Miami in a couple of weeks, so I think we could put together a pretty good all-star team. I don't want to guard any of those guys. They'll be on my team, and then you know, maybe if you want to play you can come up with some folks of your own."
Youtube - Classic Obama: His highschool basketball days
The NY Times: The Primary Season is Embracing Sports Images by George Vecsey
The way I see it, the younger generation is much more cool about racial, religious and gender differences than the older generations were. There are a lot of jerks among athletes, but young voters follow sports enough to be familiar with Shaquille O'Neal’s goofy jokes and Tiki Barber’s burning ambition and Dontrelle Willis’s warm smile.
Obama is of mixed ancestry — a white mother from Kansas, a father from Kenya — like some admirable sports figures, including Tiger Woods, Derek Jeter, James Blake and Herman Edwards.
Although agreeing that mixed ancestry might be a factor, Dawson noted that “Woods and Obama have a similar self-image, that it’s not about race.”
“It’s a central part of Obama’s campaign,” Dawson said. “He can transcend race.”
Youtube - Score! Obama Shoots A Three
AA Statesman: Obama tries to take inspiring vision to the White House by Bob Dart
In his memoir, "Dreams from My Father," Obama wrote about inner turmoil over his racial identity at Punahou, where most of the other students were white or Asian. However, outwardly, he got along well with his classmates, most of whom were more affluent. He played varsity basketball — earning the nickname "Barry O'Bomber" because of his long-distance jump shots.
Mr. Robinson, now the coach of Brown University’s men’s team, said the 6-foot-2 senator is too skinny to be an imposing presence, but he is fast, with good wind even when he was a smoker. Mr. Obama is left-handed, and his signature move is to fake right and veer left, surprising players used to guarding right-handed competitors.
Sports Illustrated: One-on-one With Obama by S.L Price
So it's no surprise that Obama bit at the chance to play one-on-one. We met at the YMCA in Spencer, Iowa, in a gym with signs scolding, do not dunk balls or hang on rim! No problem. We both graduated high school in 1979, and the days when a soda bottle could roll beneath our jumping feet have long passed. At 6' 1 1/2", Obama is all lefty, quick with long arms. Before we start, he grabs some opposition research from my son, who readily says I'm "not in basketball shape" and will thus spend his teenage years peering through the barred windows of our basement.
Playing B-Ball with Barack Obama by Marshall Poe
Barack had game, and he was even then a natural leader. He was tall (I’d say about six-four), but very thin, and this shaped his style of play. He couldn’t really hold his own in the paint, but he had good ups and would snatch rebounds over slightly shorter and heavier players in a graceful motion that reminded me of Karem. He was relatively fast and agile, but had no outside game that I recall. I do remember him bringing up the ball from time to time, which was probably not a good idea (though I don’t think he had a bad handle). It suggested that he wanted to be in charge (I did the same thing sometimes, much to the chagrin of my teammates).
Barack Obama Led Occidental Basketball Team In Scoring In 1979 by SportsByBrooks
Jim Acho on why the media has eschewed taking it to the Barack: “Obama was considered 'a George Gervin type’ by one ex-coach I spoke to, but I wonder why it gets no mention. Maybe the Obama camp is playing it down for fear of some type of ‘black man and basketball’ stereotype/reprisal.”
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