President Obama compares himself to Aaron Rodgers, Michael Jordan
President Obama, GQ's Man of the Year, clearly knew whom he was talking to when being interviewed by Bill Simmons, the founder of Grantland. "It's really aggravating not having you on Grantland," Obama said in the interview, which presumably took place before ESPN shuttered the website for good (speaking of which, Obama, can you do anything about that?). "I go to the site and there’s no Simmons. Come on, man, it's not the same."
But even more than that, the interview was ripe with what Simmons terms "President Obama the Person," the man behind the façade. A man who, it turns out, loves his sports analogies — and doesn't mind comparing himself to some of the best in the game.
"You're like Gregg Popovich," Simmons suggests at one point, speaking to Obama's ability to stay focused in the midst of chaos. Obama pivots, "Yeah. Or maybe [Aaron] Rodgers in the pocket, in the sense of you can't be distracted by what's around you, you've got to be looking downfield. And I think that's a quality that I have — not getting flustered in what's around me."
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But comparing himself to the quarterback with the record for the highest career passing rate in the regular season wasn't the end — then Obama broke out the Michael Jordan analogy, however modestly.
Speaking of which — Obama wouldn't mind owning an NBA team. Look out, Jerry Reinsdorf.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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