Award-winning columnist Tom Archdeacon — an old-school storyteller in a brand-new venue — writes about sports, the city, southwest Ohio and anything else that catches his fancy… or yours.Home > Blogs > Through the Arch > Archives > 2012 > March > 09 > Entry
Obama’s Dayton hoops and other presidential sports
President Barack Obama is said to be bringing British Prime Minister David Cameron to the First Four games at UD Arena Tuesday and - regardless if your politics are red state or blue - I think that’s great.
It’s good not only for recognition of Dayton’s ties to the tournament - and what that partnership does for our town - but if you are a basketball fan, you’ve got to like the fact that a hoops guy now calls the White House his home.
Over the years we’ve had presidents who boxed, wrestled, were into billiards, tennis, golf, swimming and sailing. Richard Nixon put a bowling alley in the White House and George Bush Sr. added a horseshoe pit. Andrew Jackson liked cockfighting and owned many gamecocks.
Obama is a basketball junkie. He talks it - he’s a fan of the Chicago Bulls and knows college hoops better than most - he plays it and, at age 50, he gets props for his “game” from other pick-up players.
But he’s certainly not the first Commander in Chief with a sports jones. In fact, several other men who have settled into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue have had far more impressive athletic resumes.
Gerald Ford was a lineman on two Michigan football teams that won national crowns and he was the Wolverines’ MVP in 1935.
Jimmy Carter ran track and cross country at the U.S. Naval Academy. And George Bush Sr. played first base and captained the Yale baseball team that, twice in his Bulldog days, played in the College World Series.
Dwight Eisenhower was a halfback on the Army football team until a knee injury derailed his career and Teddy Roosevelt competed in boxing and tennis at Harvard.
Bad back and all, John F. Kennedy was an avid sailor. Abe Lincoln wrestled, Ronald Reagan was a strong swimmer, John Quincy Adams, James Garfield and Chester Arthur were into billiards and George W. Bush liked cycling.
As for sports wannabees, none tops Richard Nixon. The first U.S. President to attend a regular season National Football League game while in office, he called Miami Dolphins coach, Don Shula, before Super Bowl VI and recommended a play.
The play did not work.
In his book — “First Off the Tee: Presidential Hackers, Duffers and Cheaters from Taft to Bush” — Don Van Natta Jr. got a telling Nixon golf story from Sam Snead:
“He landed in some really bad rough no one could shoot out of unless you had a bazooka. I was watching him from the fairway when he disappeared into the thicket. Hell, I figured he was going to drop another ball. But hell no. Out comes the ball flying high onto the fairway.
“Then Nixon comes out of the woods looking real pleased with himself. I knew he threw it out, but I didn’t say anything. What would I say? He was the president.”
Nixon, though, was a good poker player, something he learned from his Navy mates during World War II. He became so transfixed with it that he once turned down a chance to have dinner with Charles Lindbergh when it conflicted with a game.
As far as presidents obsessed with their sports pastimes, none - notes RealClearSports columnist Tim Joyce — was more passionate than Teddy Roosevelt when it came to his tennis. He had the first court built at the White House in 1902 and soon had assembled a group of younger government diplomats and officials as his playing partners. They were dubbed The Tennis Cabinet and they had his ear more than anyone else.
That tennis court later was linked to tragedy during Calvin Coolidge’s presidency. His two teenage sons used to play there regularly and in 1924 Calvin Jr., played so much he developed a blister on his big toe. It became infected and a week later the 16 year old died of blood poisoning.
That same tennis court is where Nixon’s vice president Spiro Agnew — full of expletives and testosterone when he played — clobbered a playing partner with a serve. To that, Nixon cracked: ‘We ought to negotiate Cambodia with a tennis racket.”
When Obama installed portable basketball goals on the White House tennis court a couple a years ago, he wasn’t the first president to add a sports facility to his digs. Franklin Roosevelt put in a swimming pool for his physical therapy. Bill Clinton, an avid jogger, added a half-mile running track. And, as mentioned before, Nixon and Bush Sr. both made their additions.
And with the pressures of the presidency, who is going to argue about a guy having a place where he can recharge or simply sort his thoughts?
President Woodrow Wilson played nine holes of golf on the 1917 day he signed the Declaration that sent the U.S. into World War I.
On the campaign trail — even on the day he was elected the 44th president of the United States — Obama played in pick-up basketball games.
So sports seems to work for presidents.
Well, at least most of the time.
Although Eisenhower put a putting green in the lawn outside of the Oval Office, he soon had trouble with squirrels digging it up to bury their nuts. That caused a bit of a rift with former president Harry Truman, who had tamed the squirrels by hand feeding them.
According to a 1955 newspaper story in The Bulletin of Bend, Oregon, an undaunted Eisenhower had the Army Signal Corps put together a tape of supposedly terrifying sounds to scare the squirrels, but his fluffy-tailed rivals didn’t budge.
Finally box traps were brought in, but Eisenhower’s opponents in congress had a field day painting him as anti-wildlife and soon the whole squirrel campaign was disbanded.
As Senator Richard Neuberger, an Oregon Democrat, summed it up for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:
“Presidents come and presidents go, but the White House squirrels presumably will go on forever.”
He was right.
Ike is long gone as are nine other presidents. The squirrels are still there. Sometimes you see them they scampering across Obama’s basketball court.
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By Barry O.
March 12, 2012 12:12 AM | Link to this
Michelle, honey, you know that I hate to leave you and the kids. The British Prime Minister loves basketball, so I have to fly him to Dayton to watch the epic struggle between bubble teams Iona and BYU. I’m only going because David Cameron and I have tough foreign policy and re-election decisions we can discuss on the flight to and from Dayton. Besides, I need a break. I’ve only been able to play 90 rounds of golf since I took office…. Don’t worry, David and I will be home before the last car leaves the UD parking lot.
By KES
March 10, 2012 3:59 PM | Link to this
To all those blaming the President for the high gas prices: what President in their right mind would want gas prices to increase in an election year—even the Bushes with their direct involement in the oil business didn’t like it during their re-election campaigns. Also the high use of food stamps, increased use of unemployment compensation, etc. is thanks to the non-actions of the Tea Bagger controlled House of Representatives that’s more concerned with their irrational hatred of President Obama than the welfare of this country!
By polack
March 10, 2012 8:33 AM | Link to this
I just want to thank President Obama for the high jobless rate, the high food stamp usage, also the high fuel prices
By StayhomeBO
March 9, 2012 9:25 PM | Link to this
Great, now we’ll spend an extra half hour in traffic waiting for security checks for your majesty. Thanks BO for the $4.00 a gallon gas. BTW, it was $1.79 when you took office.
By Irishguy
March 9, 2012 8:25 PM | Link to this
I’m no fan of Mr O, but it’s a nice boost for the city and tournament to have the POTUS in town for the event.
By trade off
March 9, 2012 6:33 PM | Link to this
Its a trade off mister EGO gets all over ESPN and the networks, what a regular guy Obama is. BUT its cost BIG bucks for this AD. The trade off? YES its good for Dayton
By null
March 9, 2012 5:25 PM | Link to this
Clint he is the leader of the free world.in your dreams.the only thing he can do is go on vacation.cause he workes so hard at NOTHING.HE CAN USE A BREAK???????
By Abe Lincoln
March 9, 2012 5:23 PM | Link to this
I was only into naked wrestling with curious friends of mine.
By Ethel S
March 9, 2012 5:21 PM | Link to this
With gas at $4 a gallon and the American Dream is to be able to eat three meals a day, this trip is the biggest waste of money ever that a POTUS has ever put over on the taxpayers who will have to foot the bill for security and the jets.
By Clint
March 9, 2012 4:37 PM | Link to this
This is great for the University of Dayton and the local basketball fans . It has to be a 1st in the State of Ohio where the leader of the free-world comes to watch a collegiate basketball game - Let’s hope it’s a great basketball game and atmosphere at UD Arena . Too bad the Buckeyes aren’t play at UD Arena or the Flyers !
By r
March 9, 2012 4:19 PM | Link to this
I’m glad he is able to get away for the weekend…he dosent get much time off….
By Netanyahu
March 9, 2012 3:03 PM | Link to this
But he can’t hit the 3.
By Bob
March 9, 2012 2:27 PM | Link to this
Tax Payers (working people) will pay MILLONS for The Man to take in a part of a game and the security will be a mess up for ALL that attend
By null
March 9, 2012 2:19 PM | Link to this
Chapstick.They ran out at walmart.kiss kiss.
By Jim
March 9, 2012 1:26 PM | Link to this
Their presence is great news for UD and the Dayton community. Let’s hope that the NCAA assigns a meaningful game and the teams and crowd will create a buzz and show their class before a national tv audience.