15 Ways Sports and Politics Have Collided

One is taboo at dinner parties, and another is not. Either way, sports and politics (or athletes and politicians) are definitely an entertaining match.

The intersection of the two has provided some hilarious stories, meaningful moments, heated debates and even inspired artwork over the years. Here are 15 examples of why sports and politics definitely do mix, ranging from "Oh, that's kind of cool," to, "That is the most delightful thing I have seen all week."

No political commentary here, just some light entertainment to help you through the day.

Championship White House Visits

Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press

OK, yes, these are getting a little old. Still, it's pretty cool that part of winning a major American sports championship is a trip to the White House.

Sure, President Obama's Deflategate jokes fell a little flat, but when the U.S. women's national soccer team visited in October, he crushed it. The president said, "This team taught all of America's children that 'playing like a girl' means you're a badass," per Laura Wagner of npr.org.

Indeed. 

All the Endorsements

Steven Senne/Associated Press

Athletes get a vote too! Much like everyone wanted to know which athletes were Team Pacquiao and which were Team Mayweather, their political endorsements make news as well.

For instance, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady may or may not have endorsed Donald Trump for president (looks like not), but former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson definitely did. Vitor Belfort of the UFC looks to be throwing his weight behind Ben Carson, and Magic Johnson has voiced support for Hillary Clinton.

The Support from Foreign Nations

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

When the Cleveland Cavaliers made it to the NBA Finals, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the time to voice his support, and that of his country.

According to Joe Vardon of the Plain Dealer, Netanyahu called Cavs head coach David Blatt, who is a dual U.S./Israli citizen. Per Vardon, Blatt said, "He said all of Israel is behind the Cavaliers. That was great."

Athletes as Politicians

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Here's a literal take for you. Sports and politics mix because they do. Many a former athlete has gone on to a career in politics. One of the most notable examples is bodybuilder and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who became the governor of California in 2003 and served until 2011.

Other athletes-turned-politicians include former NBA player and New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley and former professional wrestler and Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura. U.S. Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan all played college football as well, according to NBC Sports. 

Most recently, former Ukrainian boxer Vitali Klitschko (brother of heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko), has announced he is planning to run for president of Ukraine, per CNN.com.

Dubya and the Rangers

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

If a future president can become the part-owner of a baseball team, then sports and politics definitely mix.

George W. Bush purchased a $500,000 stake in the Texas Rangers in 1989 and became managing general partner of the team. Bush and his group sold the team to Tom Hicks in 1998, and the then-Texas governor made a cool $14.9 million on his investment.

President Obama Courtside

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

In October, President Obama took in the Chicago Bulls season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers, courtside.

The Commander in Chief is a Chicago native, and the Bulls certainly appreciated his support. Per Dave McMenamin of ESPN, guard Jimmy Butler said, "It's really cool for him to come out and support us. Him being from here and all. I'm glad we got a win for him, of course. We kind of had to focus on the Cavs a little bit, but I think everybody was looking over there and saw Obama over there."

It's not the first time the president has been seen at a basketball game. He has taken in action from the WNBA and college basketball as well. He also fills out an annual March Madness bracket, and comparing your picks to the president's is always a good time. 

Presidential First Pitches

Presidential first pitches are pretty great, too. Many U.S. presidents have partaken in the tradition in the past—from John F. Kennedy to Barack Obama.

George W. Bush performed probably the most famous presidential first pitch at Yankee Stadium in 2001. It was October 30, Game 3 of the World Series and less than two months after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Bush called it, "the 'most nervous' moment of his presidency," according to Louisa Thomas of Grantland.

The moment was recently immortalized in an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary. 

Jimmy Carter on the Kiss Cam

John Bazemore/Associated Press

Former President Jimmy Carter attended an Atlanta Braves game with his wife Rosalynn in September. The longtime Braves fans provided a sweet moment for fans and viewers when they were featured on the stadium's kiss cam.

This was mainly just adorable.

Jeb Bush Loves Fantasy Sports

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Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush is apparently pretty good at fantasy football, or so he says. When asked about daily fantasy sports at the third GOP debate in October, Bush said, "Well first of all, I'm 7-0 in my fantasy football league," per Mark Sandritter of SB Nation.

He apparently has New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Bush dropped some stat knowledge as well, stating Tannehill went 18-of-19 against the Houston Texans in Week 7. (He did.)

Chris Christie Does Not

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Even better than Jeb Bush bringing up his fantasy team during a presidential debate was Chris Christie telling him no one cares.

Barry Petchesky of Deadspin reported the New Jersey governor (and noted Dallas Cowboys fan) said, "Wait a second, we have $19 trillion in debt, we have people out of work, we have ISIS and Al Qaeda attacking us and we're talking about fantasy football? Can we stop? Can we stop? Seriously?"

Touche. Then again, Christie did go on to provide his opinion on the matter, which was, "Let people play, who cares."

Fantasy sports might not be the most pressing political issue of our time, but it sure made for some entertaining television.

This Painting on Reddit

If the intersection of sports and politics will continue to give us paintings like this one, bring it on.

In 2014, Redditor fact_school_cat put a request out to the Interwebs—a request for Founding Fathers-related basketball imagery. For real.

The result was this epic painting by Redditor I_may_be_Dead, aka Aaron Needham, depicting George Washington posterizing North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.

Congressman Schiff Pays Up

In October, U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff of California reportedly placed a friendly wager on the National League Division Series with Rep. Steve Israel of New York. Schiff's punishment when the New York Mets beat the Los Angeles Dodgers was to sing "Meet the Mets" on the House floor. 

This is reminiscent of another delightful intersection of sports and politics: mayoral sports wagers. Toronto and Kansas City during the MLB playoffs, Chicago and Tampa ahead of the Stanley Cup Final, Seattle and Green Bay over the NFC Championship Game—examples are virtually endless.

Vladimir Putin Scoring All the Goals

To celebrate his 63rd birthday, Russian President Vladimir Putin played in an exhibition game with some of Russia's great hockey players, including Slava Fetisov, Pavel Bure and Alexander Mogilny, per Sean Leahy of Puck Daddy.

He scored seven goals—let's see that shocked face.

President Obama Playing Golf

Steven Senne/Associated Press

It's no secret President Obama enjoys a around of golf now and then, and his games with athletes have led to some charming anecdotes over the years.

For instance, Obama once claimed retired baseball legend Derek Jeter hustled him on the course. And NBA MVP Steph Curry told Jimmy Kimmel about the president's tendency toward trash talk. Curry and his father lost to the president, to which Kimmel said, "It's probably for the best though because you don't want to get audited," per Kyle Porter of CBS Sports.

Joe Flacco Sparks a Debate

Presidential candidate Chris Christie doesn't want to talk about fantasy sports—this much we know. But what about one of the greatest sports debate topics of our time? Is Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco elite, or not?

One spectator, SB Nation's @PFTCommenter, wanted the answer at the first GOP debate in August, and he held up a sign to that effect. Unfortunately, the question has not been addressed—not then, and not later in September when posed directly to candidate Mike Huckabee.