Sports and the Presidency

Dayn Perry runs down the sporting history of our presidents:

For good or ill, sports can be a lingua franca for pols and voters who often have little in common when it comes to life histories and current straits. On this point, is it worth noting that Obama's favored sport—basketball—resonates far more deeply with younger voters—and maybe the preponderance of all voters—than does McCain's boxing matches from half-a-century ago?

Maybe, maybe not. But seeing the youthful-looking Obama besting, for instance, SportsCenter anchor Stuart Scott on the court makes the Democratic nominee seem that much more alive and vigorous than the 72-year-old McCain. It all adds to the story that Obama and his handlers are trying to tell.

In the end, when the time comes to cozy up to that Diebold contraption, sports should matter infinitely less than voting records and policy positions. But who's to say that how a prez reacts to the phone ringing at 3:00 a.m. isn't somehow traceable back to how he reacted to taking the clutch jump shot? Or, if you prefer, throwing the jab in the deciding round? Maybe that's nonsense, but campaigns and, ultimately, voters believe otherwise.

Remember how I said I threw my back out? Here's how it happened: I was at a school playground with my kids on Saturday afternoon, and my three year-old son wanted to slam dunk on some eight foot rims. I picked him up over my head and jumped while he held the ball and then threw down. Two days later, I can still barely walk.

Don't feel the need to set aside time for my future inauguration.