January 7th / 9th, 2011
"Obama, like Nixon, Committed Sports Error"
American Presidents have been linked to athletic achievement ever since
George Washington threw a silver dollar across the Potomac (it was actually a
small piece of slate tossed across the Rappahanock, but let's not let
facts get in the way of a good story). Lincoln was an accomplished wrestler.
Grant was an expert equestrian. Teddy Roosevelt excelled in boxing. Truman
popularized power walking. Nixon, Ford, and Reagan played real football in
college, while Kennedy played touch with Marilyn Monroe. Eisenhower was an
avid golfer. Jimmy Carter ran track at Annapolis. Bush the elder was a
baseball stand-out at Yale, and George W loved cycling. Clinton was a jogger,and
Barack Obama plays pick-up basketball.
Once in office, Presidents also occasionally rub shoulders with
accomplished athletes. Who could ever forget Reagan's visit to Daytona on the day
Richard Petty won his 200th race. The video of #43 circling the track as Air
Force One landed in the background is one of the most memorable images in
sports history. Rarely, though does a Commander in Chief ever interfere in a
pro sport. Yet that's what happened thirty years ago, and it happened again
last week. The former incident ended in disaster, and the latter could
follow suit.
Half way into their 1971 season, the Washington Redskins were on a two
game losing streak when coach George Allen asked his long time friend Richard
Nixon to attend a practice session and motivate the team. President Nixon
was all too happy to oblige, and at one point, was even allowed to call a
play for the offense. Appropriately it was a trick play, a reverse to the
wide receiver, and it worked. Allen later told reporters that he admired the
President because he had "come back and won after being beaten twice". But
sometimes comebacks and second chances can fail, and cause collateral damage
in their wake.
Legend has it that during the Skins' subsequent playoff game against the
49ers, Nixon phoned in a play to Allen, once again calling for his infamous
trick reverse. Sure enough, George ran the reverse to his wide receiver,
only this time, the play failed miserably, and Washington lost the game. A
few years later Nixon resigned in disgrace and Allen was fired. Obviously the
playoff incident did not directly cost either man his job, but no one can
deny the power of bad karma.
Fast forward to 2010. During the first two months of the BP oil spill,
President Obama was constantly criticized for being disengaged. Instead of
taking decisive action to deal with the gulf disaster, he spent much of his
time in sports related activities, including playing golf no less than seven
times. On day seven of the spill, Obama hosted the New York Yankees. On day
14 he hosted the Navy football team. On day 28, he hosted the UCONN
women's basketball squad. And, on day 38 he hosted national champion Duke. On day
58 he finally met with BP's chairman to see what was being done to clean
up the worst oil spill in history.
A few months later, after the oil well was finally capped, the President's
party lost 60 seats in the mid term election, and his popularity plummeted
to an all time low. Apparently, though, Mr. Obama didn't learn a lesson
from his bad BP sports karma, because by year's end, he injected himself into
an NFL matter. Obama used his bully pulpit to praise Philadelphia Eagles
owner Jeffrey Lurie for giving convicted felon Michael Vick a second chance.
The President's validation of an animal abuser sent political analyst
Tucker Carlson into a rage, saying that Vick should have been executed for his
crimes. Even Obama supporter, columnist Morris O'Kelly (an African
American) scolded the President for his support of Vick.
In 2010, Barack Obama gave his liberal base plenty of reasons to abandon
him, including extending the Bush tax cuts to millionaires, continuing the
war in Afghanistan, and failing to provide leadership on the gulf spill. But
his latest misstep with Vick might have been the last straw for Democrats
and for all animal lovers. Like it or not, the President will now be linked
with a quarterback who burned and hanged dogs. The irony is that, come
2012, the man who celebrated a second chance for Vick, might not get one
himself.
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