Sports

#AskPOTUS About Sports, He Will Listen

Social media has redefined freedom. It has allowed us to live in a country where it is not only appropriate, but also acceptable and even encouraged to tweet questions at the President of the United States–and maybe, if you’re worthy, get an @mention back. Yet while this advance in communications technology has brought about a magnificent new era of engagement between the American people and their leader, direct democracy at the speed of the Internet, it also has created trolls. Or maybe just enabled them.

President Barack Obama learned this the hard way while conducting the first ever presidential Twitter forum from his personal handle, @POTUS. The #AskPOTUS campaign invited people from all political walks of life to discuss the controversial issue of climate change. Of course, Americans got distracted, didn’t follow the rules, and ended up asking off-topic questions about ISIS, homeland security, immigration, police brutality, and most pressing of all, sports.

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In defense of avid sports fans, this is an exciting time of year. With the NBA Finals, NFL OTAs, the Belmont Stakes, the Women’s World Cup, FIFA scandals and so much more on the docket, who has time to talk politics? In fact, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that participants in Obama’s chat asked questions like this:

And because we all know Obama is a hoops fan, it’s also not shocking that the leader of the free world would have some thoughts and opinions, enthusiastically answering your question like this:

But as with most things in life—and on the internet—there is always something out there that’s better.

And just when you think Americans have completely lost sight of the issues threatening our future and the world as we know it, one of our nation’s brightest heroes used his allotted 140 characters to ask the question that the president has yet to address:

Peter has a point, Mr. President. BOFA must be stopped.