The Masculine Image of Presidents As Sporting Figures

This article explores the role of the president identifying himselfas a sporting figure, which can be successful as well as detrimental in the presidents’overall public relations strategy, through an ideological criticism lens. To make thisargument, the authors start by examining the role of sports in American popular cultureand its relationship to a strong masculine image. Recognizing the value of publicity inthe mediated political world, they then trace the evolution of the president fromEisenhower to Obama identifying himself as a sporting figure through the mass media. Thearticle specifically focuses on the two most recent presidents’ use of sports and itseffect on their masculine image. The authors conclude by addressing the implications ofa future female president’s strategic use of sports