SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Game 3 of the 2001 World Series took place at Yankee Stadium.
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UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: For tonight's ceremonial first pitch, and please welcome the president of the United States.
(CHEERING)
DETROW: It was still just weeks after the 9/11 terror attacks. The World Trade Center ruins were still smoldering.
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UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Mr. President.
DETROW: And as President George W. Bush confidently strode to the top of the mound, wearing an FDNY quarter-zip to throw out the first pitch, the New York crowd unleashed a loud, cathartic roar.
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UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Chanting) USA, USA, USA.
DETROW: That's all to say American politicians have long hitched their wagons to major sporting events and tried to harness them into a bigger cultural moment or maybe just a way to better relate to voters. Though, it has felt like a lot recently, especially as President Trump has made his presence felt in soccer, in basketball and, of course, with that UFC fight on the White House lawn. One person who thinks a lot about the politics of sports is University of Richmond political scientist Dan Palazzolo. Dan, welcome.
DAN PALAZZOLO: Thanks for having me, Scott.
DETROW: So let's start with something that I think we can all agree was a lot different than that 9/11 moment that we just heard. And that is the UFC fight on the White House lawn that took place on President Trump's birthday, just ahead of the 250th anniversary of the country. What was your reaction to watching that, to seeing that play out?
PALAZZOLO: This was a case, I think, where the president is celebrating his birthday, so it's a personal moment doing something that he enjoys, but doing something that actually turned out to be somewhat divisive, especially when Josh Hokit made his remarks about Michelle Obama. But even more of that, the kind of spectacle he's clearly playing to his base if there was a political intention at all, and it was quite spectacular by comparison.
DETROW: What are other high-profile moments of presidents and sports that come to mind in between that Bush 9/11 moment we heard and what Trump's been doing?
PALAZZOLO: Yeah. You know, the first real big example is President Taft throwing out the first pitch of a baseball game in 1910. I think that started it all. We think of, like, President Obama wanting to predict the outcome of March Madness and engaging in that sort of event. We also think of moments where presidents invite teams to the White House, which traditionally has been a unifying moment, but even in the case of President Trump, has been divisive, as well.
DETROW: A lot of NBA teams in particular have said they're just not going to come and meet him. What do you think makes the kind of political-sports marriage most successful? 'Cause I think, at the same time that we have seen Trump at the UFC, intertwined in the World Cup, going to the NBA Finals, we also got this high-profile example of New York City's Mayor Zohran Mamdani cheering on the Knicks, but also from the point of view of, like, it seemed to be that he was, like, being a Knicks fan more than he was being a mayor trying to glom onto it.
PALAZZOLO: Look, that - we're looking at, really, kind of like the perfect moment for a politician to be a part of a celebration like that.
DETROW: Yeah.
PALAZZOLO: And the fact that he was and has been a Knicks fan and a Mets fan and just a fan in general, I think, made it easier for him to be part of that event. Whether and how he can leverage that into some kind of more political gain is hard to imagine. But, you know, you're seeing there - and you see it with Trump, too. You know, he enjoys sports. And so some of it is that personal enjoyment of the sport, and part of it is, you know, the context, which he took advantage of.
DETROW: What else do you think Trump is trying to do? 'Cause there's clearly a I like sports and like big events aspect...
PALAZZOLO: Right.
DETROW: ...But there also seems to be a clear political strategy in continually attaching himself to big sports moments.
PALAZZOLO: Yeah. I mean, I think that's right. And I think in the case of the UFC, the political angle was clearly at the base itself. Again, briefly, to compare, I mean, George Bush had a 90% approval rating when he threw that pitch at the beginning of that game at Yankee Stadium. Right now, Donald Trump is as low as it's ever been. We're in the midterms.
DETROW: Yeah.
PALAZZOLO: And this is one out of many, many things that the White House is going to have to do between now and Election Day to strengthen the Republicans' chances in the House and Senate elections.
DETROW: That is Dan Palazzolo with the University of Richmond. Thank you so much for talking to us.
PALAZZOLO: Enjoyed it. Take care. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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