President Obama Makes His Picks
For the second consecutive year, President Barack Obama has filled out his bracket on ESPN. In 2009, he accurately predicted North Carolina to win the tournament. Throughout the tournament, ESPN would evaluate how his bracket compared to the actual tournament results.
President Obama is the first president to project his bracket picks on ESPN. By doing so, he is able to reach out to a wider audience and boldly publish his bracket for all people to view and critique. Clearly, this is a ritual that the president has established for himself. This ritual is similar to sport rituals that have been observed by presidents throughout history, such as the first pitch of Opening Day for baseball. However, President Obama's bracket ritual engages the public more than the ceremonial first pitch. Here, he shows off his sports knowledge by explaining each pick he makes.
The public's interest in President Obama's bracket demonstrates how bracketology is a unifying phenomenon. Any person, no matter their political affiliation, can critique the president's bracket. Thus, the president assumes the role of a college basketball spectator, rather than a government official. As the video progresses, Andy Katz and President Obama discuss teams and match-ups just as two friends or coworkers would.
However, this role is broken twice in the segment. When President Obama picks Ohio State to win their second round game he says, "It's no bias. I'm not trying to win electoral votes in Ohio. I think Ohio State wins that one." This quote is an intent to create political humor within the context of sports. President Obama blurs the lines between sports and politics with this comment.
The other time when President Obama uses the tournament to make a political statement is when he describes Frank Martin, the head coach of Kansas State. Obama says, "He's a scary dude. I could send him up to Congress and get him to vote for health care." This statement has less humor in it than the previous one. It indicates that the president is dissatisfied with the current rate of health care reform and he needs people to passionately support healthcare reform. The president uses a sports analogy in order to convey his position on a political issue.
President Obama is the first president to project his bracket picks on ESPN. By doing so, he is able to reach out to a wider audience and boldly publish his bracket for all people to view and critique. Clearly, this is a ritual that the president has established for himself. This ritual is similar to sport rituals that have been observed by presidents throughout history, such as the first pitch of Opening Day for baseball. However, President Obama's bracket ritual engages the public more than the ceremonial first pitch. Here, he shows off his sports knowledge by explaining each pick he makes.
The public's interest in President Obama's bracket demonstrates how bracketology is a unifying phenomenon. Any person, no matter their political affiliation, can critique the president's bracket. Thus, the president assumes the role of a college basketball spectator, rather than a government official. As the video progresses, Andy Katz and President Obama discuss teams and match-ups just as two friends or coworkers would.
However, this role is broken twice in the segment. When President Obama picks Ohio State to win their second round game he says, "It's no bias. I'm not trying to win electoral votes in Ohio. I think Ohio State wins that one." This quote is an intent to create political humor within the context of sports. President Obama blurs the lines between sports and politics with this comment.
The other time when President Obama uses the tournament to make a political statement is when he describes Frank Martin, the head coach of Kansas State. Obama says, "He's a scary dude. I could send him up to Congress and get him to vote for health care." This statement has less humor in it than the previous one. It indicates that the president is dissatisfied with the current rate of health care reform and he needs people to passionately support healthcare reform. The president uses a sports analogy in order to convey his position on a political issue.
