# Either the insanity of left Feminism or the idiocy of modern journalism: Obama & basketball game **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 25, 2009, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-the-insanity-of-left-feminism-or-the-idiocy-of-modern-journalism-obama-basketball-game/515079 "2009-10-25T19:37:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wmfellows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c2a13f/32.png) [@wmfellows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wmfellows)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2009, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-the-insanity-of-left-feminism-or-the-idiocy-of-modern-journalism-obama-basketball-game/515079/1 "2009-10-25T19:37:41Z")
[Is this in fact an issue in the US of A](http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/25/us/politics/25vibe.html?ref=politics), as I see from the this it was first page news on the leading American daily, NY Times: whinging on about Obama playing basketball with only Lads from Congress. It is either really piss-poor journalism (from page news??) or the insanity of hard Left feminism taken to self-mockery. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-the-insanity-of-left-feminism-or-the-idiocy-of-modern-journalism-obama-basketball-game/515079/2 "2009-10-25T19:47:02Z")
There is a long history of putting the administration, especially a new one, under the microscope like this. And stories about Obama really seem to sell papers now. I wasn’t very surprised when I saw it in the NYT today. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2009, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-the-insanity-of-left-feminism-or-the-idiocy-of-modern-journalism-obama-basketball-game/515079/3 "2009-10-25T20:03:36Z")
No comments from feminism here as I consider myself a feminist-but the part of the article that bugged the most was the quotation from an employee regarding President Obama’s disinclination to get “overly familiar” with women as opposed to jocular with men. :rolleyes: Gee, the trials of having a boss who doesn’t go out of his way to flirt with you-a boss who also happens to live under a microscope and portrays himself as a family man. Clearly he hates women and eats puppies for breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-the-insanity-of-left-feminism-or-the-idiocy-of-modern-journalism-obama-basketball-game/515079/4 "2009-10-25T20:05:56Z")
That article made it into the NY Times? :dubious: So much for the NYT’s stellar rep for insightful and objective journalism. The woman complaining sounds like a nutter, IMO, and I highly doubt that Obama’s “boy’s club” is anything but a media ploy to fill space on a page. Women are his base? News to me. IMS, quite a few men voted for him too. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2009, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-the-insanity-of-left-feminism-or-the-idiocy-of-modern-journalism-obama-basketball-game/515079/5 "2009-10-25T20:40:21Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > That article made it into the NY Times? :dubious: So much for the NYT’s stellar rep for insightful and objective journalism. When did the NYT ever have such a reputation? This is the newspaper that reports such absurdities as you have to be making six figures to live comfortably in Manhattan. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-the-insanity-of-left-feminism-or-the-idiocy-of-modern-journalism-obama-basketball-game/515079/6 "2009-10-25T21:40:00Z")
All he needs to do is play a little one-on-one with Secretary of Health and Human Services [Kathleen Sebelius](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathleen_Sebelius)…and get his ass handed to him. She was on her college team, which is more than President Obama accomplished. That would lay this kerfuffle to rest. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2009, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-the-insanity-of-left-feminism-or-the-idiocy-of-modern-journalism-obama-basketball-game/515079/7 "2009-10-25T21:52:03Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > All he needs to do is play a little one-on-one with Secretary of Health and Human Services [Kathleen Sebelius](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathleen_Sebelius)…and get his ass handed to him. She was on her college team, which is more than President Obama accomplished. That would lay this kerfuffle to rest. Schooling the President is treason. ---
**Author:** ![Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Long_Time_First_Time)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2009, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-the-insanity-of-left-feminism-or-the-idiocy-of-modern-journalism-obama-basketball-game/515079/8 "2009-10-25T21:52:29Z")
FWIW - Obama played with some members of the Indiana Fever when he was campaigning in Indiana. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2009, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-the-insanity-of-left-feminism-or-the-idiocy-of-modern-journalism-obama-basketball-game/515079/9 "2009-10-25T22:03:44Z")
Meh, they were talking about this on the Scarborough morning show on MSNBC back on Wednesday. Really, what a non-issue. And the whole thing with the media claiming this or that segments of the population are “your base” and that you’re neglecting them whenever you do anything that doesn’t specially account for them, must be annoying to elected officials across the spectrum. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2009, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-the-insanity-of-left-feminism-or-the-idiocy-of-modern-journalism-obama-basketball-game/515079/10 "2009-10-25T23:25:20Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Schooling the President is treason. What about making him your bitch? \* - I volunteered for the Obama campaign for more than a month. I keed! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-the-insanity-of-left-feminism-or-the-idiocy-of-modern-journalism-obama-basketball-game/515079/11 "2009-10-26T00:13:19Z")
I’d totally be behind this if they’d just used the White House as an attention-getting jumping off point for a piece about unofficial bonding experiences and networking events that tend to exclude women (pick-up games, golf trips, strip club visits). But… they didn’t. Seems like the conclusion cae before the examples, as it often does. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-the-insanity-of-left-feminism-or-the-idiocy-of-modern-journalism-obama-basketball-game/515079/12 "2009-10-26T00:19:14Z")
> [@anu-la1979](#): > > Clearly he hates women and eats puppies for breakfast. Hey, lets leave Rush outta this… ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-the-insanity-of-left-feminism-or-the-idiocy-of-modern-journalism-obama-basketball-game/515079/13 "2009-10-26T00:48:48Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > All he needs to do is play a little one-on-one with Secretary of Health and Human Services [Kathleen Sebelius](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathleen_Sebelius)…and get his ass handed to him. She was on her college team, which is more than President Obama accomplished. That would lay this kerfuffle to rest. Sorry, but the best womans’ college team would struggle against a good boy’s high school team. I think Obama has nothing to fear from Sebelius on the court. Wow, I’m watching ABC news right now and they reported that Obama invited a woman to play in his golf foursome (I assume it was a foursome) today. Man, they react fast! ---
**Author:** ![Windwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/5e9695/32.png) [@Windwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Windwalker)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-the-insanity-of-left-feminism-or-the-idiocy-of-modern-journalism-obama-basketball-game/515079/14 "2009-10-26T02:31:16Z")
I for one take objection to the fact that Obama only allows women (and rumor has it: only BLACK women) for twosomes on his bed. On behalf of men everywhere, I am outraged that he chooses to so ignore a big part of his constituency! ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-the-insanity-of-left-feminism-or-the-idiocy-of-modern-journalism-obama-basketball-game/515079/15 "2009-10-26T04:22:36Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Sorry, but the best womans’ college team would struggle against a good boy’s high school team. Really? How would you support that assertion? Seriously, you think the UConn Huskies would struggle against a high school boys team? I’ve got some good shit; but I want some of what you’re smoking. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-the-insanity-of-left-feminism-or-the-idiocy-of-modern-journalism-obama-basketball-game/515079/16 "2009-10-26T13:28:08Z")
We can douse the pitchforks and put the torches back in the hay loft. [Melody Barnes plays golf with the president; first woman to do so.](http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/10/26/obama-golfs-with-adviser-melody-barnes-first-female-to-join-h/#) All is now right in the world. Damn, that was close. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-the-insanity-of-left-feminism-or-the-idiocy-of-modern-journalism-obama-basketball-game/515079/17 "2009-10-26T15:32:52Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > All he needs to do is play a little one-on-one with Secretary of Health and Human Services [Kathleen Sebelius](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathleen_Sebelius)…and get his ass handed to him. She was on her college team, which is more than President Obama accomplished. That would lay this kerfuffle to rest. Sebelius is about a foot shorter than Obama, and she played college hoops at that noted powerhouse, Trinity Washington College. (Who?). My money’s on the Prez if they ever play one on one basketball. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-the-insanity-of-left-feminism-or-the-idiocy-of-modern-journalism-obama-basketball-game/515079/18 "2009-10-26T15:35:22Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Wow, I’m watching ABC news right now and they reported that Obama invited a woman to play in his golf foursome (I assume it was a foursome) today. Man, they react fast! As noted in the article itself, her inclusion in this weekend’s foursome was planned before the article went to print. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-the-insanity-of-left-feminism-or-the-idiocy-of-modern-journalism-obama-basketball-game/515079/19 "2009-10-26T15:43:14Z")
A big mouth sports TV reporter in Detroit scoffed at womens basketball. (Rob Parker) . Nancy Liberman was the coach of the Detroit womans team at that time. He challenged her to 1 on 1 and she creamed him. She was long retired by then. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-the-insanity-of-left-feminism-or-the-idiocy-of-modern-journalism-obama-basketball-game/515079/20 "2009-10-26T15:44:34Z")
From everything I’ve read, Obama takes those basketball games seriously and wants to play hard. Is this an example of some women not understanding male athletic competition? It’s not some kind of symbolic social event. He’s addicted to the physical exertion and hard competition. Why would he want to water that competition down by putting women into the mix? It would defeat the whole purpose. I notice there aren’t a lot of old men or fat guys in on those games either. This is really contrived. Are there a lot of women who are _asking_ to play in these games? Is Hillary Clinton clamoring to get boxed out by a 6’2" bodyguard? Is Valerie Jarret asking to able to take a hard foul on a drive down the lane? Jesus Christ, this is lame. ETA the irony of this is that if Obama _were_ to put some women in the game, and the men treated them like men, he would get flak for being rough with women and knocking them around on the court. The last thing he needs is video of some woman trying to take a charge from the President and getting spilled on the asphalt. It would run in an infinite loop on Fox. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-the-insanity-of-left-feminism-or-the-idiocy-of-modern-journalism-obama-basketball-game/515079.md?page=2)