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Obama Brings Game to DC Politics
President lobbies IOC as both a politician and a fan
By Angus Loten
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Posted Apr 29, 09 1:44 PM CDT
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(Newser)
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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.
Obama's sportsman-like conduct makes for good politics. "Intellectually he's so lofty that I think he feels it's necessary to bring himself down a bit," said a political scientist at Rutgers. "There is nothing better to temper that loftiness than sports." It comes naturally. Obama works out nearly every day, including pick-up basketball and softball games with White House staffers.