A TRIBUTE TO OUR ATHLETIC PRESIDENTS

Jimmy Carter

It takes a lot to be President of the United States—a strong character, determination and a sense of team above all else. All of these qualities are nurtured on the playing field, where many of our presidents were groomed into leaders of the free world. Here are a few notable examples:

• Jimmy Carter: Canoeing, fishing, jogging, skiing, softball, swimming, tennis
  With all of these athletic pursuits, it's amazing he got anything done while in office. Oh, wait.
• Richard M. Nixon: Bowling, golf
  Tricky Dick was proof positive of the old saying: "Never trust a man who owns his own bowling shoes."
• Franklin D. Roosevelt: Sailing, stamp collecting, swimming
  If Murderball existed in the 1920s, it's a safe bet FDR would have been involved.
• Herbert Hoover: Medicine Ball
  There really weren't that many ways to have fun during the Depression, were there.
• Calvin Coolidge: Mechanical horse, pitching hay
  Coolidge's platform was simple if misunderstood: Less government, more robot horses.
• William Taft: Riding
  When Barbaro was euthanized, the nation grieved for weeks. But what about the poor steed that had to carry this monstrosity?
• Theodore Roosevelt: Boxing, hunting, jujitsu, riding, shooting, wrestling
  "Killing you three times before you hit the ground," was apparently not an official sport until 1913.
• Abraham Lincoln: Wrestling
  The 6'4'' (without the hat) Lincoln was an avid wrestler (of course he was), but had to ditch his collection of luchadore masks after Mary Todd became convinced they were stealing her thoughts.







Print Article . Email Article. Subscribe to The Magazine