Power Players: Sports, Politics, and the American Presidency

by Chris Cillizza

A colorful look at how modern presidents play sports, have used sports to play politics, and what our fan-in-chief can often tell us about our national pastimes.

POWER PLAYERS tells all the great stories of presidents and the sports they played, loved and spectated as a way to better understand what it takes to be elected to lead a country driven by sports fans of all stripes. While every modern president has used sports to relate to Joe Q. Public, POWER PLAYERS turns the lens around to examine how sports have shaped our presidents and made for some amazing moments in White House history, including:

Dwight Eisenhower played so much golf he had a putting green built outside the Oval Office! (He also almost died on a golf course while in office.)
How John F. Kennedy’s touch-football games with family were knowing plays to polish the Camelot mystique.
People might not have related to the aloof and awkward Richard Nixon but, hey, he would bowl a few frames just like them.

Ronald Reagan didn’t just play the part of “The Gipper” for the silver screen, but truly adopted the famous footballer’s never-say-die persona.

George H.W. Bush once ran a horseshoe league from the White House – with a commissioner and brackets! (He would later claim to have come up with the fan expression, “You da man.”)

Bill Clinton’s Arkansas Razorback fandom was so intense that he could be found shouting at the referees from a box at the basketball national championship game in 1994. 

George W. Bush’s not only owned the Texas Rangers but also threw out the most iconic first pitch ever in the 2001 World Series. 
What really went down when Barack Obama played pickup hoops with the North Carolina Tarheels. (He later won the state by .3 percent of the vote.)

Donald Trump is the only president ever featured in a professional wrestling storyline—and everything real and fake that went with that.
In the pages of POWER PLAYERS, a love of sports shines through as the key to understanding who these presidents really were and how they chose to play by the rules, occasionally bluff or cheat, all the while coaching the country into a few quality wins and some notorious losses.

Genres: Sports, Politics, Nonfiction, Presidents, History

Audiobook

Published April 18, 2023

Reviews

[Johannes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oivallinen lukuelämys, antaa enemmän kuin lupaa. Kirjassa käsitellään presidentit Eisenhowerista Bideniin kysyen, millainen suhde urheiluun heillä on, mitä se heistä kertoo, miten presidentit käyttivät urheilua ja penkkiurheilua apunaan politiikassa jne. Ei uskoisi, mutta älyttömän hyvä näkökulma jokaiseen presidenteistä. Lähes jokaisella on jonkinlainen urheilutausta. Paljon hienoja anokdootteja ja henkilökuvia, esim. yksin Valkoisessa talossa keilaava Nixon, hevosenkenkäturnauksia henkilökunnalle järjestävä Bush vanhempi, juoksulenkeillään roskaruokaa tilaava Clinton jne. Lisäksi jokaisesta tulee sympaattinen ja inhimillinen kuva (kirja ei ole ilkeä), paitsi kun päästään Trumpiin, jonka huijaaminen golfissa on sekin paljastava kuva.

Kirja olisi hyötynyt kustannustoimittajasta, jolla on raskaampi kaasujalka.

[Adam Carman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very unique book that traces the role of sports in presidencies from Eisenhower to the present. In addition to the ubiquitous golf and football, we learn about George H.W. Bush's skill in baseball, and of course Obama's basketball. As professional sports has become more a part of American life, presidential candidates have engaged in it as a way to reach voters and humanize themselves. While the book can be a tad repetitive, especially with the quotes, there is a lot of interesting information as well. Cillizza delves into how a President's attitude towards sports might explain his attitude towards the presidency--Trump who only sees things in the terms of beating people into submission, the Bushes' and Kennedy's focus on competition or Nixon's pathological need to be like or Reagan's pathological need to associate himself with winners. All in all, a fun read.

[Brandon Robert Patton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it is overall a fun book. I enjoy learning about the human side of the Presidents. Also the author is funny, so the makes the reading enjoyable!

[Chad Manske · Rating 4 out of 5]

In his captivating book, "Power Players: Sports, Politics, and the American Presidency," Chris Cillizza, a prominent political commentator, and journalist, masterfully delves into the intricate relationship between sports, politics, and the presidency--from Teddy to Biden. With a keen eye for detail and a rich understanding of the subject matter, Cillizza takes readers on an enlightening journey that explores the profound impact of sports on American politics and the presidency. One of the book's strengths lies in Cillizza's ability to weave together historical anecdotes, compelling narratives, and astute analysis. He effortlessly combines well-researched facts with engaging storytelling, painting a vivid picture of how sports have shaped and influenced the country's political landscape throughout history. From Teddy Roosevelt's love for boxing to Richard Nixon's infamous meeting with Elvis Presley, Cillizza captures the essence of these powerful interactions, making the book a fascinating read for both sports enthusiasts and political junkies. Moreover, "Power Players" is not merely a collection of entertaining stories but also a thought-provoking exploration of the underlying dynamics between sports and politics. Cillizza delves into the ways in which athletes, sports leagues, and major events have become integral components of political strategy, national identity, and social change. He skillfully examines the pivotal role that sports play in shaping public opinion, fostering patriotism, and providing a platform for social activism. Cillizza strikes a great balance between historical context, personal anecdotes, and insightful analysis, making the book both informative and entertaining. Whether discussing Muhammad Ali's refusal to serve in the Vietnam War or the influence of the Olympic Games on international diplomacy, Cillizza's narrative is captivating, leaving readers eager to learn more, and his expertise, storytelling prowess, and engaging writing style make this a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the profound and often overlooked relationship between these three spheres of American society.

[Derralyn Monahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished ✔️ Power Players by Chris Cillizza

4 ⭐️’s
Publish Day: April 18th, 2023
Kindle Unlimited: No

It covers the following:

Dwight Eisenhower
John F Kennedy
Richard Nixon
Ronald Reagan
George H.W. Bush
Bill Clinton
George W. Bush
Barack Obama
Donald Trump

It was very informative and overall a great book that I’d recommend

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[John Schorg · Rating 2 out of 5]

A glib, inconsequential book about the relationship between Presidents and sports. Surprisingly, the desire to win in athletics translates well to the political arena. These stunning insights are delivered in a manner that is often condescending...gosh, what is clearing brush? Wrestling is fake...Zounds! In that light, it does get humorous to see the author make a few errors, such as being unable to decide what Washington's baseball team was called in the version that existed into the early 1970s. For the record, it was called the Senators then. It became the Nationals when the Montreal franchise moved there. You can find better accounts of this subject matter in other books.

[John Dobbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting Perspectives and History

There are two reasons why I would never read this book. I don’t like sports. I don’t like politics. But I do like Chris Cilizza, having heard him many times on Tony Kornheiser’s podcast/ show. I found this book so interesting because in writing about sports and presidents we gain personal insights and perspectives that would be missed by purely political interest. The last three chapters were least interesting to me. Obama, Trump, and Biden’s chapters were less interesting to me and I am not sure why. But I think it’s a great book and I appreciated the feeling that I knew our Presidents on a more personal level.

[Kenny Schwarz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love presidential biographies and given that I read a ton of them, I always enjoy it when I learn a unique insight that I hadn’t already known about our chief executives. That’s what makes Power Players so special, by citing our chief executives connection with sports from Eisenhower to Biden. This book has fascinating insights on the individual history of each president as an athlete themselves to how they used sports to connect with the populace while in the White House.

In true Cilizza form, the book is a bit overly snarky in the Trump section AND understandably very light on detail in the Biden section. That being said, this is a very fine book and a great read!!

[Sean Asbury · Rating 2 out of 5]

An absolute partisan hack job - which nobody should be surprised by.
He doesn't get 5 pages in to the book before taking a shot at Trump and finds a way to take ridiculous shots every chance he can get.

The book is full of sidenotes and attempts at punny humor (often calling attention to it) and reads like a damn high school project.

Don't waste your money on a hack that was fired by CNN

[Steven Beningo · Rating 3 out of 5]

While much of this book was interesting, there were way too many factual errors, including such basic things as the years of Jimmy Carter’s Presidency. The author also made his political biases quite clear.

[Douglas Graney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun and entertaining book. The only flaw seems to be is the author did not interview any of the Presidents. Why not? Oh, and as usual Donald Trump is an ass.

Hey! Look at me-first review!

[Kimberly Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

The content was interesting, but the writing was pretty bad. (Sidebar: if you’re going to include sidebars every other paragraph, at least make them, um, interesting).

[Cathy Salvato · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was pretty interesting and I learned many interesting things about the presidents and which sports were important to each. (From Ike to Joe Biden)

[Fixie Nice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some really fantastic trivia about presidents and sports, pretty enjoyable and quick read

[Bob Spangler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even Richard Nixon bowled…

Fun read about our presidents and covered so many sports such as fly fishing, golf, basketball, baseball and others. Of our Donald Trump added wresting.

It was not very well written with so much common terminology repeated with every president. The author could have used an editor and maybe a better editor.