I just finished watching what I thought was a very interesting interview that sports journalist Bryant Gumbel had with Barack Obama on April 16, 2008. Here's an excerpt of that interview:
"BG: It's not just coincidental that this country's first biracial presidential contender loves the game that itself cannot be separated from the issue of race.
BO-There is something about basketball and our culture that connects up with ah the African American experience in a special way almost in the same way that jazz music connects up with African American culture. There's an aspect of improvisational within a discipline that I find very very powerful.".
"HBO Sports - Bryant Gumbel interviews Barack Obama on politics and basketball; complete with coverage of an informal game on the campaign trail"
-snip-
Prior to that watching that interview, I hadn't given any thought to there being any possible connections between basketball and jazz. Interesting...
In that interview, Obama and Gumbel also explored the idea that the way a person plays basketball could reveal, at least in part, something about the nature of that person [I gathered they meant something like whether the players are selfish with the ball, or pass it to other players, whether they are show-offs on the court etc].
The other part of that interview that I thought was interesting was the idea {discussed by Gumbel and Craig Robinson, Obama's brother-in-law, and not by Barack Obama} that there is a Black style of playing basketball and there is a White style of playing basketball. Gumbel named some famous basketball players who are Black who are known for using the White style of playing basketball. Gumbel also named some famous basketball players who are White who are known for using the Black style of playing basketball. When asked to describe Barack Obama's style, Robinson said that Obama used to play the Black style of basketball that is learned on the playground, but now he plays the White style of basketball. Robinson went on to say jokingly that actually all players over the age of 35 years play basketball using the White style. Since I'm only peripherally a basketball fan, I wasn't aware that there were Black or White ways of playing basketball.
There was also mention in that interview about the 3 on 3 basketball game that Obama planned [and subsequently did have] with Indiana high school students. [See more about that game here"
And needless to say, Bryant Gumbel's interview with Barack Obama also covered politics.
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Does anyone here have any comments about the subject of basketball as an improvisational activity? Do you agree that the way you play basketball {or, presumably any sport} reveals aspects of their personality? Do you agree that there are Black and White styles of playing basketball? And do you think that Obama's basketball interest & skills will have any impact on the success of his "political game" in Indiana and North Carolina?