# Was Barack Obama able to hold his own against NBA and college level basketball players **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 26, 2016, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-barack-obama-able-to-hold-his-own-against-nba-and-college-level-basketball-players/750205 "2016-03-26T04:05:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-barack-obama-able-to-hold-his-own-against-nba-and-college-level-basketball-players/750205/41 "2016-03-29T00:54:20Z")
Never mind basketball. I know Obama used to surf back in Hawaii. I’d be interested in how he stacked up with those pros. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-barack-obama-able-to-hold-his-own-against-nba-and-college-level-basketball-players/750205/42 "2016-03-29T01:00:50Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Never mind basketball. I know Obama used to surf back in Hawaii. I’d be interested in how he stacked up with those pros. Missed the edit window. Actually, now I’m not sure if he ever surfed much per se. He was an avid body surfer though. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-barack-obama-able-to-hold-his-own-against-nba-and-college-level-basketball-players/750205/43 "2016-03-29T03:15:35Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > Who is the last sitting President about which anything comparable could be said, with respect to any significant sport? I was thinking about this at work…Obama will retire as president at 50 (?). That means more than likely he will still be around for a long long time. What’s the longest a former President lived? I know Hoover was around a ridiculous time all things considered. (looks it up)…31 years. Carter has been alive for 35 years after. That’s gotta be up there. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-barack-obama-able-to-hold-his-own-against-nba-and-college-level-basketball-players/750205/44 "2016-03-29T03:45:14Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > I was thinking about this at work…Obama will retire as president at 50 (?). That means more than likely he will still be around for a long long time. What’s the longest a former President lived? I know Hoover was around a ridiculous time all things considered. > > (looks it up)…31 years. Carter has been alive for 35 years after. That’s gotta be up there. Yep, Carter is #1, Hoover is #2. Obama would have to make it at least a few weeks past his 87th birthday, in August, 2048, to take over the #2 spot. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-barack-obama-able-to-hold-his-own-against-nba-and-college-level-basketball-players/750205/45 "2016-03-29T11:04:18Z")
And last I heard, Carter was still in pretty good shape, too. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-barack-obama-able-to-hold-his-own-against-nba-and-college-level-basketball-players/750205/46 "2016-03-29T11:36:03Z")
> [@brickbacon](#): > > You do understand we are talking about a non-serious pickup game, right? I don’t think anyone was literally arguing he was/is better than even a mediocre former player. What most seem to have said is that they were surprised that a middle aged politician was able to not make a complete fool of himself when playing with larger, formerly dominant athletes. Again, look at the context. Relax- nobody is saying you have to stop worshiping Obama. But the OP quotes a journalist who was suggesting Obama was a lot more than a so-so middle age duffer. He’s not. He wasn’t a star at 18, and he sure isn’t a star at 55. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-barack-obama-able-to-hold-his-own-against-nba-and-college-level-basketball-players/750205/47 "2016-03-29T12:49:14Z")
Not many people know it, but Obama was a [terrific dancer](http://www.google.com/url?url=http://nypost.com/2016/03/26/obama-dances-as-the-world-reels-from-more-terror-attacks/&rct=j&frm=1&q=&esrc=s&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwjOt5qL9-XLAhVCSiYKHfXBD44QqQIIFzAA&sig2=PDJ6rRINu1caMVUtjv525Q&usg=AFQjCNGxfFSZC-nLeYHKbD1-cVeloTE_bw). And he could paint a whole apartment in one afternoon. Two coats! Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-barack-obama-able-to-hold-his-own-against-nba-and-college-level-basketball-players/750205/48 "2016-03-29T13:22:15Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And last I heard, Carter was still in pretty good shape, too. Last I heard he had metastatic melanoma. It was treated and he is currently in remission but at his age having such a serious condition wouldn’t be considered “pretty good shape” in my book. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-barack-obama-able-to-hold-his-own-against-nba-and-college-level-basketball-players/750205/49 "2016-03-29T13:37:30Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > He’s pretty good for someone of his age who played basketball in high school and still occasionally plays pick-up games. By “holds his own”, I think that the journalist just meant that he doesn’t look utterly ridiculous. > [@Peremensoe](#): > > Who is the last sitting President about which anything comparable could be said, with respect to any significant sport? George W. Bush played high school varsity baseball and George HW Bush played baseball at Yale. I doubt either of them would have looked utterly ridiculous on a baseball field. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-barack-obama-able-to-hold-his-own-against-nba-and-college-level-basketball-players/750205/50 "2016-03-29T14:18:15Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > George W. Bush played high school varsity baseball and George HW Bush played baseball at Yale. I doubt either of them would have looked utterly ridiculous on a baseball field. HW was captain of his team and played in the 1st two College World Series. From what I have heard I have no doubt he would have been able to find a spot on a minor league team. Getting to the pros probably wouldn’t be in the cards but there was a much bigger minor league system at the time and a lot of spots for decent players. He went right into business instead which was probably a good call since he already had a family. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-barack-obama-able-to-hold-his-own-against-nba-and-college-level-basketball-players/750205/51 "2016-03-29T18:43:02Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > George W. Bush played high school varsity baseball and George HW Bush played baseball at Yale. I doubt either of them would have looked utterly ridiculous on a baseball field. But did either of them play pickup baseball as President? ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-barack-obama-able-to-hold-his-own-against-nba-and-college-level-basketball-players/750205/52 "2016-03-29T18:45:13Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Relax- nobody is saying you have to stop worshiping Obama. > > But the OP quotes a journalist who was suggesting Obama was a lot more than a so-so middle age duffer. He’s not. He wasn’t a star at 18, and he sure isn’t a star at 55. Accurate appraisal doesn’t imply I or anyone else here worships Obama. I couldn’t care less that he plays/played basketball. That said, I don’t think I have heard anyone say he was much more that a so-so middle age player. The term and context for which the term, “holds his own” was used certainly doesn’t imply much for than that. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-barack-obama-able-to-hold-his-own-against-nba-and-college-level-basketball-players/750205/53 "2016-03-30T01:21:37Z")
There’s an 1993 alternate history short story (“The Franchise” by John Kessel) in which George H. W. Bush and Fidel Castro play on opposite teams in the 1959 World Series. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-barack-obama-able-to-hold-his-own-against-nba-and-college-level-basketball-players/750205.md?page=2)