President Barack Obama traveled to Nike headquarters in Oregon on Friday to promote a new Pacific trade agreement. A Washington Free Beacon analysis finds he should consider picking up some new footwear as well.
There was certainly "hope" that Obama, a basketball fan and avid player, could be one of most athletic to ever call the White House home. Instead, his athletic "achievements" as president have become a symbol of American weakness.
One of his first actions as president was to re-purpose the White House tennis court into a full-court basketball court. He chose to showcase his skills during a 2013 shoot-around on the new court. He went 2-for-22.
The performance was an embarrassment, but could have possibly been due to his choice of shoes.
For some, who are born with athletic ability, equipment is no big deal. That is not the case for Obama, and choosing a shoe created to fit the foot of legendary Olympic athlete Steve Prefontaine could be a good start.
When it comes to basketball, it doesn't get any better than Nikes. It's no wonder the leading sponsor for Nike happens to be Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player of all time. Here is what he thinks about Obama:
When Jordan called Obama a "hack," he was referring to his golf game. Here's his swing:
Sheesh.
It's highly unlikely that Nike's line of premium golf shoes—worn by the likes of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy—could do much to make that look pretty, but they couldn't hurt.
Nor could they make him look much worse throwing a baseball, an act that has been thoroughly analyzed by the Free Beacon's Andrew Stiles in the past.
Aside from the above mentioned issues with mechanics, his footwear choice has been highly questionable. You have to look good to play good, and the ensemble put together by Obama certainly did not look good.
His throw in that get-up at the 2009 All-Star Game is about as bad as it gets.
And it was no fluke. Here he is throwing the first pitch at a Nationals game.
The shoes are just a start, and likely would not fix all of Obama's athletic woes. But it would be a start.
Throwing on a fresh pair of Nikes could even make Obama look a little cooler on a bike.
Perhaps Obama should spend less time trying to "change" America, and more time radically transforming his own athletic wardrobe. Decline is choice, but so is embarrassing your country by failing at sports.