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Hoopster In Chief: President Obama's Tenure Marked By Notable Sports Fandom

President Obama departs office on Friday having filled "nearly every minute of his administration with sports talk -- using it as entertainment, metaphor, and, finally, as a political weapon," according to Bryan Curtis of THE RINGER. The White House had "known extreme sports nerdery before," but Obama "ascended to a plane beyond what [Richard] Nixon or any other president could dream of." Curtis: "Like no president before, save maybe Gerald Ford, Obama could be understood through the prism of his favorite sport, basketball." He "wanted to be our sports-talk-host-in-chief, weighing in on the burning issues of the day." Obama was "against the BCS, against stadium financing scams, against [former Clippers Owner] Donald Sterling, and thought college basketball’s shot clock should be 30, rather than 35, seconds" (THERINGER.com, 1/19). SPORTS ON EARTH's Karim Zidan wrote Obama's affinity for basketball was a "staple of his presidency." His relationship with sports "extends past pickup games and emotional ceremonies." On occasion, he was "able to use sports as a medium for policy discussion and diplomacy" (SPORTSONEARTH.com, 1/18). USA TODAY's Jeff Zillgitt wrote Obama was "our basketball president, the hoopster in chief." He "once said he would like to be part-owner of a [NBA] team and wasn’t shy about using basketball metaphors in relation to world events." Raptors President & GM Masai Ujiri: "It will be awhile before we see a president relate to sports and basketball like President Obama" (USA TODAY, 1/19). 

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