Senators' sports allegiances symbolize leadership styles

By Natalie Clericuzio     11/6/08 6:00pm

Even though Barack Obama has been declared our president-elect, both his and John McCain's views on sports can still give the nation some insight into how each man would perform in the oval office. On Monday Night Football on the eve of Election Day, Chris Berman, known for his uber-hyped play-by-plays, interviewed Barack Obama and John McCain before the nation discovered which campaign would go the distance. Now that the campaign is over, let's see how the sports fan in Obama will influence his presidency, and how the sports fan in McCain would have.Berman first asked the two men what would happen if they could change one thing in sports. The answers of the candidates went against the conservative small government and liberal larger government stereotypes. McCain touched on sport's recent spate of drug-related problems, proposing stronger government regulation.

In another interview earlier this year with ESPN SportsCenter anchor Stuart Scott, Obama weighed in on the possibility of government intervention with steroid use in professional sports, saying, "We've got an awful lot of stuff on our plate, I'd like to see the baseball commissioner handle this without congress being involved."

Obama's point of view seems to have a better grasp of the Senate's priorities. McCain would have decided to spend the government's time on an issue that baseball is more than capable of regulating by itself. As much time as it takes for Congress to agree on anything these days, surely they could spend their time working on issues that affect the entire country, not just a small portion of society.

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Additionally, virtually no reason exists to validate government legislation into the arena of professional sports. Making decisions about how to deal with the national economy: yes, definitely something the president should be worried about. Stepping in to regulate private organizations like pro sports: not so much.

Professional baseball has also shed some light on the convictions of McCain and Obama. In the same interview with Stuart Scott, Obama professed his love for the White Sox, saying he would go for the pale hose in a Sox-Cubs World Series, even though that goes against popular opinion in Chicago. McCain, on the other hand, refused to express any allegiances whatsoever about the eventual Rays-Phillies Series, chalking it up to knowing "too much about politics to pick a winner."

Obama said he would root for the Phillies, although he did mention that he "showed some love" for the Rays. McCain quickly jumped on that statement as an opportunity to expose Obama as fair-weather fan, at the least.

Now, there are plenty of sports fans who can appreciate the accomplishments of their foes without rooting for both sides. Similarly, Obama simply stated that he recognized the true accomplishment of the Rays, even though he favored the Phillies. Obama appears to embody the type of president who will be able to appreciate Republicans, while still being on the side of the Democrats: true bipartisanism. Whether that is actually how Obama will behave, only time will tell.

Either McCain was afraid of choosing the wrong team for the World Series and consequently looking like an idiot, or, more likely, campaigning beat all the boldness out of McCain, and he was afraid that some voters would actually choose their candidate based on who chose the right World Series winner. Granted, Pennsylvania and Florida were battleground states, but at some time, the candidate needs to step away from the politics.

Berman also questioned Obama about what he would change in professional sports. Obama replied that he would like to see college football do away with the Bowl Championship Series and switch to an eight-team playoff system. While he may have lost the votes of the members of the BCS committee, he certainly appeased a large contingent of collegiate football's fan base.

The two responses shed some light on the decision-making styles of the two men. Obama answered the question in a way that both revealed something to the audience they likely did not know about him as well as broke outside of the realm of politics. McCain's reply of government-regulation of performance enhancing drugs was an answer that related to his political history, something he has worked on for a long time.

Thus, Obama portrayed himself as a president who would consider all options and fresh ideas. Without a long history in Congress, Obama had to test the possibilities until he determines the best course of action. McCain instead demonstrated how he might prefer to stick to what he knows and what has worked in the past, based on his time as a senator.

Both Obama and McCain played sports competitively when they were younger: McCain boxed and Obama played basketball. These sports suggest what type of relationships these

presidents would have with their staffs.

Boxing is an individual sport. Just you and the other guy, sweating it out until someone can't punch anymore. Perhaps the solitary nature of the sport is where McCain developed his maverick individuality. Accustomed to having only himself to rely on, McCain the president would have stayed strong in his own convictions, putting his opinions before those around him.

On the other hand, basketball gave Obama experience working with others, crucial for his new job as president. Five men at a time are on the court for each team. Even Michael Jordan lost games when he played his best because the rest of his team (i.e., Luc Longley) couldn't measure up. Obama's basketball experience likely trained him to rely on the talents of those around him. With less time in office than McCain, his basketball days will serve him well in appreciating what his advisers say.

Now that Obama has been elected, his biggest obstacle will be that there are still two teams in Washington. To be successful, the president will have to be able to show good sportsmanship and even be willing to work with the opposing team. Will he be up to the task? Can he handle the pressure? Will he out-hustle his opponents? Well, the coin toss has just landed; the 24-second clock has just begun; and after the next nine innings of the Obama administration, we'll have an answer.

Phew, I think that's enough sports clichés to last a whole 'nother four years.

Natalie Clericuzio is a Wiess College sophomore and sports editor.

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