Barack Obama Slams Chicago Cubs Fans In Sportscenter Interview

Lots going on for Barack Obama these days. Just announced his vice president. The Democratic National Convention, Obama’s party coronation, will dominate the news cycles this week. And, of course, he just finished the crucial kingmaking SportsCenter interview, where prospective presidential candidates are grilled with questions like “If you could name an athlete to be your vice president, who would it be?” Hard-hitting stuff.

ESPN has released an excerpt of that interview, and it promises to generate at least one non-controversy. Obama’s comments about Cubs fans — many of whom are probably his loyal supporters — are sure to get people at least slightly irritated. After all, this isn’t exactly diplomatic:

Scott: “Who would you root for?

Obama: “Oh, that’s easy. White Sox. I’m not one of these fair weather fans. You go to Wrigley Field, you have a beer, beautiful people up there. People aren’t watching the game. It’s not serious. White Sox, that’s baseball. Southside.”

OH MY GOD BARACK OBAMA INSULTED CUBS FANS. EVERYBODY FREAK OUT.

Deep breaths … OK.

Want to know why this isn’t a big deal? Because Obama, in large part, is right. Sure he’s dealing in stereotypes, and sure, Cubs fans have improved their acumen in recent years, but by and large the let’s-drink-in-the-sun-and-maybe-watch-baseball-too atmosphere still permeates Wrigley. It’s part of what makes the experience so much fun. It’s also what makes it occasionally annoying. And this is coming from a Cubs fan.

So relax, North Siders. Be honest with yourselves. You’re still going to vote for Obama. I still am. You’ll do so not only because you still love him (we still love you Barack!), and not just because his policies are substantively better in all but a few areas, but because you’re reading a blog right now, and John McCain doesn’t even know how to use a computer. These are the facts of life.

Posted at 2:34 pm
on August 25th, 2008
Tags: Barack Obama, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, ESPN, SportsCenter

Viewing 29 Comments

Clownbaby 1 year ago 1 point
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Any word on who Ronnie Woo Woo will be voting for?

Congrats on the new spot to the Postmen...and I accept your apologies for having to change my Bookmarks. The new threads looks great.

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Terry 1 year ago 1 point
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allcubs fans dont go to have a beer. i dont. cause i dont drink. and no im not still going to vote for him and i dont love him. maybe some do, but this dosent mean we all do

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CubsTicketHolder 1 year ago 1 point
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Frankly, Obama can say whatever he wants about Cubs fans. He could even pick up the stereotype that the majority of Cubs fans are gay and he'd still win Illinois. It would take Obama being on "to catch a predator" for him to lose the state of Illinois. My problem is more fundamental. I take issue with what is implicit in his statement -- that he, on average, knows more about baseball than the average (yes... average) Cubs fan. I find that assertion laughable. It would be akin to asserting that the average Cubs fan knows more about domestic violence than the average White Sox fan. This may win him some points with a Sox fan or two but don't let him get too aggressive with his Sox chest pounding or he's going to upset a lot of people in Cleveland, lose Ohio, and then lose the election.

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DG 1 year ago 1 point
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HE JUST LOST ABOUT 10 MILLION VOTES...WHAT A MORON

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MIKE 1 year ago 1 point
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KNUCKLEHEAD.........THAT ABOUT SUMS HIM UP, BOTH FOR HIS SPORTS KNOWLEDGE AND HIS ROLL AS A PRESEDENTIAL CANDIDATE.....BIG LOSER!!!

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TJ 1 year ago 1 point
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Any politician that pigeonholes and equates an ENTIRE fanbase with a stereotype is not only hypocritical, but ignorant and an idiot.

Do you honestly want that kind of person running the country?

He didn't just insult people in Chicago. He was dumb enough to insult a fanbase that is one of the largest in the entire world.

This is the first of what I believe are going to be many mistakes on his part.

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Diamondhacks 1 year ago 1 point
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That a politician (you know, those folks who make a living telling people what they want to hear) would voluntarily generate mildly insulting, inconsequential stereotypes about a fairly large swath of voters is not only hilarious - but incredibly refreshing.

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David Mahoney 1 year ago 1 point
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Obama is totally clueless!!
If anyone thinks this will not impact votes from Norhtsiders...then
you are stroking yourself!!

I know for a fact of at least a 100 people today who said they
were offended by his comments and will NOT vote for him.!!

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Ed Miller 1 year ago 1 point
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I wouldn't vote for that &&^^%^% if he was running against Joe Stalin.
This just shows what a nitwit he is. The Cubs have a fan base that is not limited to the North Side of Chicago. Millions of us Cub fans only get to Wrigley Field once or twice a year to see our team.
Doesn't he notice the number of Cub fans in the stands when the Cubs play away games?

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Dale 1 year ago 1 point
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Which is more exciting? Senator Obama being the first African-American delegate to be elect by the DNC or the Chicago Cubs on the path to the World Series?

http://www.mbd2.com/forum/balloon_Animal_Blog/i...

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medhighJR 4 months ago 1 point
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wow..okay, i can't work a blackberry either! and i watch Cubs! Yea, their not the best..big deal! A true baseball fan knows that it's not whether you win or lose it's the love of the game, and for him to insult people especially when he is looking for acceptence from a country as a whole..isn't to bright either. McCain was a hero, i don't see Obama flashing a purple heart, do you? Nobody is perfect including Obama, and yes he deserves a chance as president. So far, however, i'm certainly FAR from impressed by his actions as a "leader " of this country.

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medhighJR 4 months ago 1 point
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and i'm from TEXAS! "northside" ?pshhh

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Managed Hosting 4 months ago 1 point
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It’s part of what makes the experience so much fun. It’s also what makes it occasionally annoying. And this is coming from a Cubs fan.

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Stock brokers 3 months ago 1 point
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It’s part of what makes the experience so much fun. It’s also what makes it occasionally annoying. And this is coming from a Cubs fan.

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cruise reviews 3 months ago 1 point
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if you stick me courtside at the Staples Center for every Lakers home game, you can let Smush Parker make it rain with chalk on my domepiece every hour on the hour.

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http://www.cruiselinefans.com/

Buy Music 3 months ago 1 point
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but by and large the let’s-drink-in-the-sun-and-maybe-watch-baseball-too atmosphere still permeates Wrigley. It’s part of what makes the experience so much fun. It’s also what makes it occasionally annoying. And this is coming from a Cubs fan.

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http://www.DigBands.com/store

Play Free Online Games 3 months ago 1 point
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allcubs fans dont go to have a beer. i dont. cause i dont drink. and no im not still going to vote for him and i dont love him. maybe some do, but this dosent mean we all do

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Watch Movies Online 3 months ago 1 point
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Want to know why this isn’t a big deal? Because Obama, in large part, is right. Sure he’s dealing in stereotypes, and sure, Cubs fans have improved their acumen in recent years, but by and large the let’s-drink-in-the-sun-and-maybe-watch-baseball-too atmosphere still permeates Wrigley. It’s part of what makes the experience so much fun. It’s also what makes it occasionally annoying. And this is coming from a Cubs fan.

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CD Label Maker 3 months ago 1 point
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Want to know why this isn’t a big deal? Because Obama, in large part, is right. Sure he’s dealing in stereotypes, and sure, Cubs fans have improved their acumen in recent years, but by and large the let’s-drink-in-the-sun-and-maybe-watch-baseball-too atmosphere still permeates Wrigley.

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vacation rentals 2 months ago 1 point
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It’s part of what makes the experience so much fun. It’s also what makes it occasionally annoying. And this is coming from a Cubs fan.

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Cheap Holidays 2 months ago 1 point
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Want to know why this isn’t a big deal? Because Obama, in large part, is right. Sure he’s dealing in stereotypes, and sure, Cubs fans have improved their acumen in recent years, but by and large the let’s-drink-in-the-sun-and-maybe-watch-baseball-too atmosphere still permeates Wrigley.

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acting jobs 2 months ago 1 point
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a circumstance more anomalous and strange than the origin of the universe itself. No computer program could have predicted the Cardinals reaching the Super Bowl; therefore, no computer program can be expected to know what the hell to do with this set of variables.

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http://www.exploretalent.com/

Etching Printing Press 2 months ago 1 point
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So maybe these two incidents somehow reversed the black cat 1969 curse and the Bartman one as well?

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online games 2 months ago 1 point
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Sure he’s dealing in stereotypes, and sure, Cubs fans have improved their acumen in recent years, but by and large the let’s-drink-in-the-sun-and-maybe-watch-baseball-too atmosphere still permeates Wrigley. It’s part of what makes the experience so much fun. It’s also what makes it occasionally annoying. And this is coming from a Cubs fan.

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melange yarn 1 month ago 1 point
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Lots going on for Barack Obama these days. So relax, North Siders. Be honest with yourselves.

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العاب 1 month ago 1 point
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funny article, i didn't know this before, but this is obama's choice.

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James 1 month ago 1 point
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By The People: The Election of Barack Obama is one of the best Obama documentaries

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Fitness 1 month ago 1 point
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It’s part of what makes the experience so much fun. It’s also what makes it occasionally annoying. And this is coming from a Cubs fan.

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1000 Games 3 weeks ago 1 point
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I take issue with what is implicit in his statement -- that he, on average, knows more about baseball than the average Cubs fan.

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