Basketball is the New Snobbery

Let's talk about sports in politics. Not athletes endorsing candidates, or the need to cast candidates in athletic terms. No, this is the apocalyptic extension of the "he is like me" issue that Dr. LIC treated a few weeks ago. Now, with Palin, we're down to "he is me."

So instead of just peppeting stump speeches with sports metaphors, or, as Obama does, allude to the Packers' loss when in Wisconsin and mention his own Bears misery, these candidates need to throw out the playbook and just talk about sports. Constantly and endlessly. Think about it: First, this election was about gas and corn syrup. Now it's shifted to the apoplectic market which, sorry, is way too abstract and removed from most people's lives. What's the perfect antidote? The National Football League, natch. I swear, if Barack just got up there—during the debate, even—and rattled off ten minutes of non-descript "who's hot, who's not" talk about this year's topsy-turvy beginning, he'd walk away the clear-cut winner. Not just "he watches football, like me," but "his brain is similarly consumed by it."

But of course, it has to be convincing, authentic. And therein lies the hitch. Notice, I'm only talking about the NFL—neither Obama nor McCain can claim a college team of note, unless you count Cindy's Trojans (a net minus?). Plus, as partisan as NFL fans are, they've got nothing on the provinicial trappings of college sports. So good look mentioning any other college team at Ole Miss. . . or finding any other sport that's really real before that audience. That's where the Obama campaign has the edge: Its multi-tiered, situational approach to just about everything could gauge where and when to use this tactic, as well as how much to mention his Bears versus the home team, and what exactly the audience would buy. Contrast that with McCain, whose best gimmick seems to be inserting city-specific Hall of Famers into his P.O.W. tales.



And then there's that tricky issue of race. Look, I know why Obama played up the basketball thing. It earned him cred in the black community, and made him seem young and hip. But even if the sport's no longer highly toxic on the identity politics front, it's still seen as a black game—unless you're laundered by a Big 10 program, or grew up playing in a lunch box. This News One piece by Drew Ricketts is a little strident for me, but it has a Dwyane Wade quote that, while it thrills me, is exactly why Big O's basketball identification could subtlely drag him down:

Wade: Wooooowww.... One thing about Obama is that he has his own style... and that's what we love. He's not the typical presidential candidate. Anyone else who's been in office before him knows that. He's not afraid to showcase his style. He loves to play basketball. He hoops and that's how he stays in shape. He doesn't run on a treadmill. You can go on and on about the arguments of policy and experience, but at the end of the day, hopefully he becomes our president. We'll all be better for it.

All I'm saying is, that's not going to hit voters the same way "that call sucked" is. It might even come across as alien or alienating. So while sports could win this election for someone, in Obama's case, it's going to involve some back-pedalling on his First Baller image. Or least an attempt to reach across the aisle and show that this kind of relationship with sports dones't mean he's shut out of discussing just what's going on with Favre on the Jets. Also, never mention the Chargers. Yeah, on second though, Big 10 alum seems almost as important as religious background when picking national candidates. Because that's what the people are buying: Not an echo of themselves, or someone who feels their pain, but someone who isn't about to feel joy or pain over that high-falutin' stuff outside their purview.

I could see Obama comparing the Bears QB situation to Bush's advisors, or McCain conflating Michael Vick and Jason Campbell. The smart move, though, is to leave all politics and policy behind. Just turn this into a contest to see who can talk sports better. Not more knowledgeably, or passionately, but just who can prove how much football they're really made of.



Also, fuck this.

EDIAL, 9.22.08

The tourney ends, and thus, we remember another tradition.

-Ready for Obama Jewish Semiotics #44757345? Turns out Michelle has a rabbi in the family, a cousin who trained in a sect, but was then vetted and accepted by the white Jew establishment. Here's the full story about RABBI CAPERS C. FUNNYE, JR. I'd been preparing a taxonomy of Black Jews, including some sort of authenticity index, but didn't feel like getting in a fight over the Lemba. So suffice it to say that, even if the Ethiopia thing is not quite literal, this guy's not hanging in Times Square or part of a certain hilarious Miami cult.



-More Barry: In a Times piece on Obama, the teacher, the following passage explains, well, everything about everyone:

Obama’s rootedness in the real world shaped every aspect of his teaching. He laced his lectures with basketball analogies. When a student observed the death of Jam Master Jay of the hip-hop group Run-DMC by wearing the group’s trademark tracksuit to the racism seminar, Obama acknowledged the gesture with a nod and a smile. (“I can assure you, that would not have been a common response among the faculty at the University of Chicago,” Joshua Pemstein told me.

-Ladies and gentlemen, Joshua Pemstein today

-Although the first sentence of this New York Times article about football players wearing wristbands around their biceps actually mentions basketball, the author fails to mention the man who most likely started this trend--NBA strongman Ben Wallace. Ironically, Stern cited the NFL as a model when he outlawed wearing wristbands on the biceps a couple years ago.



Possibly the first footage of Dr. J as a pro (at all?), from one of those fabled NBA/ABA exhibitions, no less. Erving enters off the bench and while he's not exactly dominant, there's that sense that he—and a lot of the ABA players, in fact—have seen things that the likes of Oscar and Wilt just haven't. Not saying they're better, even though they go on a run in this clip. But this isn't sloppy street vs. button-down expertise, it's the great unknown pushing up on the powers that be.

Ferrari Car Wallpapers

In the automotive industry it is very difficult to establish a delicate balance between how exclusive the car is, producing enough of the these elusive vehicles to create a demand and profit while still holding back enough that even the people who can afford it can not purchase these exotic beasts on a whim. No other company has managed to achieve this delicate balance as successfully as Ferrari.

In general for any of the exclusive Ferrari models the waiting list is approximately 2 years. Ferrari also uses a centralized system that enables both the company and its dealers to place individuals who have already purchased a Ferrari higher on the list.

Ferrari Car Wallpapers

In the automotive industry it is very difficult to establish a delicate balance between how exclusive the car is, producing enough of the these elusive vehicles to create a demand and profit while still holding back enough that even the people who can afford it can not purchase these exotic beasts on a whim. No other company has managed to achieve this delicate balance as successfully as Ferrari.

In general for any of the exclusive Ferrari models the waiting list is approximately 2 years. Ferrari also uses a centralized system that enables both the company and its dealers to place individuals who have already purchased a Ferrari higher on the list.

The new Ferrari F430

The latest vehicle developed by Ferrari, F430 costs $228,850 and there are only 140 produced. It has a 4.3 liter, 490 hp at 8500 rpm, V8, 19 inch Pirelli slicks mounted on center locking rims, a Lexan windscreen, six-point racing harness and FIA-compliant roll cage, gearbox tuning that reduces fifth and sixth gear final-drive ratios and quickens overall shifts, a carbon fiber intake manifold. The weight-saving efforts shave roughly 225 pounds off the 3196-pound street car.

The new Ferrari F430

The latest vehicle developed by Ferrari, F430 costs $228,850 and there are only 140 produced. It has a 4.3 liter, 490 hp at 8500 rpm, V8, 19 inch Pirelli slicks mounted on center locking rims, a Lexan windscreen, six-point racing harness and FIA-compliant roll cage, gearbox tuning that reduces fifth and sixth gear final-drive ratios and quickens overall shifts, a carbon fiber intake manifold. The weight-saving efforts shave roughly 225 pounds off the 3196-pound street car.

Audi A4 (B8) Styling Kit by Caractere

Swiss styling tuner, Caractere, brings us their latest kit for the new Audi A4 (B8 platform). With the newest A4 model only on the market since the beginning of the year, Caractere is amongst the first few to present a comprehensive styling package. Consisting of complete front bumper fascia for cars with original fog lights, side skirts, boot spoiler and rear bumper fascia with or without exhaust tips (left & right). Caractere says the kit, which comes with a 5 year warranty against defects, will be availabel towards the end of the year.