It’s an understatement to say that President Barack Obama has a passion for sports. Obama’s lifelong love affair with basketball is well-known, but reminiscing about his presidency also conjures up images of the first Black president on some of the world’s best golf courses.
In fact, Obama reached a milestone in August 2016 when he played his 300th round of golf while in office, CBS News reported. Obama is the most avid golfer in the White House since President Dwight Eisenhower, who played an astonishing 800 rounds in office.
@UCSanDiego staff spotted President Obama golfing this morning at Torrey Pines Golf Course. #ucsd Photo by Erika Johnson pic.twitter.com/fw4a9aLZho
— UC San Diego News (@UCSDnews) October 24, 2016
Playing all that golf, even though much of it was during vacations, didn’t sit well with many of the president’s critics. The Obamas were vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard when a flood swept through parts of Louisiana. Michael Brown, the former FEMA director who resigned over his botched Hurricane Katrina relief effort, called on Obama to leave the golf course and visit Louisiana.
Obama Visits Flood-Damaged Louisiana In Show Of Support https://t.co/xmpiQvXgaL #Obama #LouisianaFlood #Flood2016 #BatonRouge #Golf #Trump
— ZERO Filtered (@ZEROFiltered) August 23, 2016
Others fumed when President Obama appeared indifferent to the beheading of American journalist James Foley and was more interested in his favorite pastime. According to the New York Times, Obama returned to his favorite golf course on Martha’s Vineyard shortly after giving a statement on TV about punishing ISIS and consoling Foley’s parents on the telephone.
The most recent grumbling about Obama’s golfing stems from a Government Accountability Office report that a 2013 golf trip with Tiger Woods cost taxpayers almost $3.6 million.
Obama Golf Trip with Tiger Woods Cost Taxpayers $3.6M https://t.co/on113M1kHz
— LifeZette (@LifeZette) October 28, 2016
And yet golf is not the only sport that holds the president’s heart. One of the first things Obama did at the start of his historic presidency was set up a full-length basketball court at the White House. His passion for the game is deeply rooted in his childhood in Hawaii. It started when his father gave the future president his first ball during a Christmas visit. He played on his high school team and dreamed of becoming a professional ballplayer one day.
Barack Obama on his high school basketball team. #throwbackthursday @BarackObama pic.twitter.com/ZrzQhBQZY5
— Grant Schreiber (@SchreiberMedia) December 11, 2014
He never made it to the NBA, but told GQ that he’s interested in being part owner of an NBA team. Whenever he gets a chance, Obama goes to games to see the pros play, or he entertains them at the White House.
Good morning! ~luxxe note~ Look at our President Obama teaches NBA all-star Stephen Curry how to play basketball https://t.co/1xwDIQYnTC
— ChantelleC (@iamchantellec) April 20, 2016
Indeed, Obama doesn’t hide his excitement when he meets top athletes. ABC News aptly stated that “the most powerful man on earth geeks out” during those moments. That was on display when he seized the opportunity to meet Usain Bolt, the world’s fastest man, during a visit to Jamaica.
See What Happens When President Obama meets Usain Bolt in Jamaica https://t.co/A8ibxPCzD7
— Philbert Hammond (@Philbz) November 1, 2016
It’s no surprise that sports spilled over to diplomacy when the president hosted Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in March 2016, just five months after Trudeau’s stunning election victory.
Creating a moment of levity, Obama ribbed Trudeau about American hockey teams winning the Stanley Cup for 23 consecutive years in the National Hockey League.
Standing beside Trudeau, the president commented, “Where’s the Stanley Cup right now? I’m sorry, is it in my hometown with the Chicago Blackhawks? In case you Canadians were wondering, where is it?”
The prime minister went along with Obama’s humor and shot back that the three best Blackhawks players are Canadian.
Barack Obama and Justin Trudeau…..#TheWallStreetJournal.: #BarackObama and #JustinTrudeau #FaceOff Over #Hockey. https://t.co/OTz7iYZm1a
— Follow@Christwofour (@Christwofour) March 11, 2016
Obama turned to baseball when walking a diplomatic tightrope in Cuba.
Love this picture of President #Obama at a #baseball game in #Cuba with Raul #Castro. pic.twitter.com/SEbK9oCwy5
— Thomas Buell Jr. (@tcbuell) March 24, 2016
He sat with Cuban President Raúl Castro at an exhibition game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban national baseball team during his historic visit to the island.
SOURCE: CBS News, ABC News, New York Times, Washington Post, GQ, Hill | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty, Twitter
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