Obama’s sexist hoops game
Does the President’s penchant for male bonding on the basketball court put female staffers at a disadvantage?
President Obama is drawing fire from feminists for recently playing a basketball game that didn't include any women. Another complaint: None of his many golf partners has been female (at least until today). Noting that these leisure activities are prime networking events, commentators are asking whether this testosterone-heavy presidential pattern indicates a lack of opportunity for women in the White House? (Watch Obama respond to boys' club allegations.)
Obama’s reinforcing women as “second class citizens”: The White House should be leading the way for "desegregating our nation’s workplaces,” says Terry O’Neill, president of the National Organization for Women, quoted by ABC News. Work relationships built in informal settings can have a “huge impact on the influence an individual has” in his or her job.
“NOW President on President Obama's All-Male Athletic Outings: 'It's Troubling’”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
This is a fake controversy: Why would any woman lose sleep over this, asks Wesleyan history professor Claire Potter at the Tenured Radical. “Who the president plays basketball with has nothing to do with key feminist issues like the right to choose, equal pay for equal work, violence, homelessness, child care … or institutional discrimination.” The real offense: The New York Times’ decision to legitimize this story.
“Next Week, For My Benefit, President Obama Will Play Basketball With Lesbians”
Show a little sensitivity, Mr. President: Though it’s undeniable that Obama’s fellow players have a unique opportunity for access, says Philadelphia Weekly’s Cup o’ Joel blog, that doesn’t mean the president should draft Sonia Sotomayor to lace up her high-tops. But by defensivly calling the criticism “bunk,” as he recently did, the president seems to “signal a certain thoughtlessness about the issue.”
“Does basketball make Obama sexist?”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Store closings could accelerate throughout 2025
Under the Radar Major brands like Macy's and Walgreens are continuing to shutter stores
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: February 20, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku hard: February 20, 2025
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?
Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?
Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
US election: who the billionaires are backing
The Explainer More have endorsed Kamala Harris than Donald Trump, but among the 'ultra-rich' the split is more even
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK Published
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
1 of 6 'Trump Train' drivers liable in Biden bus blockade
Speed Read Only one of the accused was found liable in the case concerning the deliberate slowing of a 2020 Biden campaign bus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published