Power Players

March 15, 2023
A study of how the true characters of U.S. presidents have been revealed by the sports they played, watched, and followed. The Oval Office can be a lonely place, and all presidents have sought to escape the pressure through sports, whether participating or watching. As CNN politics reporter Cillizza shows, it can also be a way of projecting an image of common-man virility. Eisenhower had played a variety of sports in his younger days, but when he was in the White House, he obsessively focused on golf, even setting up a putting green on the lawn. He also played a mean game of bridge. Kennedy played golf but used the touch-football games with his family as media props. Socially awkward, Nixon tried to compensate by memorizing statistics about football so he could make small talk. A peculiarity of Nixon is that he was a good bowler, and he even had lanes built in the White House basement (although he always bowled alone). Reagan was not a great sportsman while president, although he exercised vigorously and loved riding horses. George H.W. Bush played many sports well but was especially skilled at horseshoes. Clinton was a dedicated runner but later concentrated on golf. George W. Bush likewise pounded the pavement and even had a treadmill put onboard Air Force One. Obama is remembered for pickup games of basketball; like most presidents he showed himself to be hypercompetitive, even aggressive, when playing. He also took up bowling, using Nixon's lanes. All this is good fun, but Cillizza cannot restrain himself when it comes to the chapter on Trump, which is dripping with snark ("it's impossible to see where Trump ends and his golfing bullshit begins"). Though many of Trump's actions deserve scorn, it's a sour ending to an entertaining, good-natured read. An enjoyable, colorful look at the intersection of sports and politics.

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March 6, 2023
Journalist Cillizza (The Gospel According to the Fix) underwhelms in this fluffy look at how American presidents have related to playing or watching sports. After a prologue that highlights Theodore Roosevelt’s role in the survival of tackle football—he believed it could serve as “training for a future as a soldier”—Cillizza flashes ahead to Dwight Eisenhower, a “golf obsessive” who “loved golf so much that he risked his life playing it—literally.” Eisenhower had a heart attack in 1955 following some bad rounds, though Cillizza acknowledges the pressures of “war, the presidency, America’s expectations” may have had something to do with it. Other sections cover Richard Nixon’s fondness for bowling and how JFK used his swimming prowess to save fellow servicemen in WWII. Cillizza explains that George H.W. Bush played horseshoes to exercise his hypercompetitiveness and build relationships with the likes of Mikhail Gorbachev and Queen Elizabeth. Those curious about Donald Trump’s relationship with pro wrestling will find answers here, as well. Despite entertaining moments, though, this entry is glutted with distracting filler (for example, the last section lists the top sports movie underdogs of all time because Joe Biden likes “the role of the underdog”) and sacrifices depth for breadth. It’s diverting, but not much more.

April 15, 2023
Presidential politics and sports go hand in hand, and many of the lessons and skills one learns by participating in sports can be adapted to the world of politics. Starting with Dwight D. Eisenhower and ending with Joe Biden, Cillizza, a political reporter and sports podcast host, explores how various sports (especially golf) have influenced modern presidents and shaped the way they govern. Some of what's here will be familiar to many, like Gerald Ford's football prowess and the Bush family's love of baseball, but there are some lesser-known nuggets, too (including the fact that George H. W. Bush ran a horseshoe league from the White House). Cillizza shines at showing how these presidents have used sports to influence people and further their political careers, including faking an interest in baseball for the chance to schmooze with a potential ally. There are a few superfluous details that add little to the narrative (the lists feel out of place), but overall, this is a fun and informative addition to the less-serious side of presidential history.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.