Barack Obama knows how to inspire all kinds of people.
Whites, blacks, men, women, he’s done it all.
But he can also inspire one of the most original comparisons I’ve ever heard.
OK, let’s set the scene.
Friday evening, the Oregon Twilight meet’s going on and Nike’s Lauren Fleshman feels nervous and not very pumped for her race, the 1,500 meters, scheduled for 7:50 p.m. Then Barack Obama shows up at Hayward Field prior to his scheduled rally across campus.
Fleshman, who is warming up at the time, cracks a smile. She decides to take action.
“When Barack Obama came into the stadium, I just got real excited. I dug through my backpack, I went to his rally and I had a leftover Obama sticker and I was like, ‘I’m just gonna rock this sticker in the race ’cause he just inspired me and put a smile on my face and made want to go out there and do it.’”
After winning her race, Fleshman, a Stanford alumna, felt inspired to tell the small group of assembled media the story of how Obama inspired her that night.
“If I weren’t here I’d be cheering for him at his rally tonight and it’s such an honor to have him here at our track,” she said.
Then she made a connection between her life and Obama’s that I don’t think I’ve ever heard before from anyone.
In her words:
“He stands for everything good about this country and I kinda feel… that what the sport is facing, an Olympic sport, trying to compete as someone who’s clean and has integrity in a sport that’s got drugs, and people play dirty. In getting interested in politics for the first time in my life, I watched Barack Obama and I feel like I can relate to what he’s going through in politics, trying to do things in your own way and you’ve got people kinda playing dirty politics, so it’s just kinda cool to see that and feel a connection through sport.”
There you have it. Sport and politics. Steroids and campaign dirt. Peas and carrots.
Distance runners are generally a different breed, but Fleshman, a three-time NCAA 5,000m champion, still managed to catch me by surprise.
Much has been made of athletes getting involved in the political process. When Greg Oden announced his support for Obama, it sparked a debate about whether it was appropriate for athletes to publicly share their political views. Later, Channing Frye and James Jones helped at a 3-on-3 Obama fundraiser with new Oregon State basketball coach Craig Robinson and caught flak for it.
I say go for it. If you’re inspired to share your opinion, share it.
Even if it’s comparing drugs to dirty politics.
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