Athletic Supporter

A friend of mine sent me the story of Barack Obama's night out. Our president is a big basketball fan, and being the leader of the free world, he was able to score court side tickets to watch his hometown Chicago Bulls play the Washington Wizards. While we have all become accustomed to the sight of celebrities down on the floor at Lakers games, it was a bit of a shock to watch the Commander-In-Chief sitting elbow to elbow with the general public. Or at least the part of the general public who can pony up a few hundred dollars for those seats.
As a matter of fact, at least one of those lucky ticket holders saw an opportunity to ingratiate himself to his Chief Executive. Basketball aficionado Miles Rawls made a point of wearing the president's likeness on his t-shirt, and then proceeded to make the visiting fan feel more at home with a little friendly chatter. "I wasn't heckling the President and I don't heckle the players. I talk about their weaknesses. We was having a good time. He was talking trash and I was talking trash. I couldn't believe he was that laid back and real. I loved it."
Even though our most recent president was once the owner of a professional baseball team, it's hard to imagine Pinhead sitting in the bleachers with the other diehards, watching the Senators battle the Rangers. Ol' Pointy Noggin seems much more like the "owner's box" kind of fan. But that's the difference, really. Obama is a sports fan. Pinhead was an owner. Anybody who has tried to comprehend the minds of George Steinbrenner or Al Davis can understand the schism. Watching sporting events as a fan is a communal activity. Even the playful trash-talk exchanged between Rawls and Obama echoes the sense of bipartisan competition found in the new administration.
For example: "I know these steps won't sit well with the special interests and lobbyists who are invested in the old way of doing business, and I know they're gearing up for a fight," Obama said, "My message to them is this: So am I." It makes me wish that I could be a fly on the wall for the next meeting of the Senate Budget Committee. "You call that deficit spending? Check out these revenue options! Boo-Yah!" Oh yes, I'd pay for court side seats for that.