Rules for Playing Hoops With the President

(NEWSER) - It's no secret that Barack Obama is an avid hoopster and that his presidency could usher in an era of basketball diplomacy, but a New York Times feature on the politics of presidential sports notes a potential hurdle for the president-elect: He's inheriting a cruddy basketball court. Little-used since Bush the elder installed it outside in 1991, the court is small, suffers a weathered and cracked surface, and has but one hoop. More»

Injury doesn't keep prez from playing with his daughters

(NEWSER) - President Obama was back on the basketball court yesterday despite his injured lip , but his opponents this time around were a bit less likely to elbow him. Obama played an early morning game at an Interior Department gym with daughters Malia, 12, and Sasha, 9, the New York Daily News reports. He got more than his fill of basketball this weekend, having also attended the Oregon State-Howard University game Saturday. Click here to see whose elbow Obama took to the face. More»

Obama has traded basketball for golf

(NEWSER) - The old Obama played hoops—and he did it quite well. So why do we keep seeing him on golf courses? Since he took office, the one-time "Baller-in-Chief" has played basketball about seven times, compared to 25 rounds of golf. The White House has remained mum on what's behind the change, and won't say why the televised games on the court have turned into secretive, no-press-allowed sessions on the course—but that hasn't stopped critics from analyzing, and bashing, his game. More»

Elite tune up their game in hopes of playing with prez

(NEWSER) - In Washington, everyone wants to be on the inside. How do you know you’re in? “A pickup game with Obama,” says a former Clinton press secretary. “That's the inner, inner, inner sanctum.” So aspiring members of the inner, inner circle are hitting the court, working on their moves, and hoping someday to play—and play well—in a game with the president, writes Wright Thompson for ESPN. More»

President lobbies IOC as both a politician and a fan

(NEWSER) - Whether shooting hoops or lobbying the IOC, Barack Obama is fast becoming the nation's sports fan-in-chief. In his first 100 days, the president hosted a Super Bowl party, sat courtside at a Bulls-Wizards game, and shot around with Connecticut's women's basketball team, the Wall Street Journal reports. He's also proposed a national college football championship, scolded A-Rod for using steroids, and backed Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics. More»