If you were wondering if he was going to do it again, he has. Like nearly every red-blooded sports fan in America, Obama loves him some March Madness. Plus, he's a basketball fan; why should he pretend like he doesn't care by not even giving a simple 20 minutes out of his day to take a big PR boost? I think that's also what this is about. Senators, congressman and congresswoman are all now getting in on these picks because it gives them another way identify with the common man/woman. Who did ________ take in the Final Four this year?
Obama will unveil his entire "Baracket" (the most perfect name in the history of ever for this kind of thing? Of course!) on "SportsCenter" Wednesday. But he's leaked his Final Four! I love it. It's like a band that's making a comeback, and part of the setlist gets out to the fans. His teams: Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky and Villanova. He also did the women's, though I'm guessing he hasn't watched more than an hour total of women's basketball this year. My guess: a group or two in Washington got on him last year for not making a women's bracket, so he's playing both sides of the aisle. Fair enough, and the right move. His women's final four: Connecticut, Notre Dame, Stanford and Tennessee.
Obama will fill out his men's bracket with Andy Katz and the women's with Doris Burke (the good, obvious choice) for air on "SportsCenter" at noon on Wednesday. ESPN said, "Both interviews will be available on ESPN.com and ESPN Mobile platforms."
If you'll remember correctly, President Obama nailed his North Carolina pick to win The Tournament in 2009.
ESPN said his bracket ranked 903,125 overall, just above the 80th percentile in its online "Challenge."
“After spending a few minutes with President Obama at the White House," said Katz, "it was evident he has clearly paid attention to college basketball this season. While I know he didn’t have time to watch ESPNU when I talked to all 65 Tournament coaches Monday, he was aware of injuries, star players and key matchups in evaluating the top teams in the field.”
Burke added, “In just the short time I spent with President Obama, it was obvious how much of a basketball fan he is. While he has joined the rest of the nation in following the storyline of the Connecticut Huskies and their current historic win streak, I was impressed with his overall knowledge and passion for all of basketball. He is also intrigued with the potential matchup of the titans of women’s basketball in Tennessee and Connecticut.”
