SI’s Selena Roberts Predicts Olympic Softball Might Be Saved by Obama

August 21st, 2008 1:19 PM

Selena Roberts, Sports Illustrated writer | NewsBusters.orgSports Illustrated’s Selena Roberts, when asked during an interview on the SI website about the future of softball as an Olympic competition on Thursday, added some liberal commentary into her prediction about the sport’s redemption: "One other wildcard for 2016 is the exit of the Bush administration. The undercurrent of anti-Americanism within the IOC, which some say has hurt the U.S. because of its softball dominance, may abate somewhat with a potential administration led by Barack Obama, a rock star in Europe."

This comment came at the end of an interview about the U.S. team losing in the gold medal match to Japan. This is the last Olympics for both softball and baseball since the International Olympic Committee decided to eliminate it for the 2012 Games in London.

Earlier in the interview, Roberts predicted a possible return of softball for the 2016 Olympics: "I think there is great momentum right now to reinstate softball for 2016 due to a couple of important reasons: First, Asian countries have poured a lot of resources into women's softball. Japan is one example, and those countries have a lot of pull with the IOC. Second, I think America is doing the right thing in exporting its knowledge of the game by establishing clinics in Europe where there is more resistance toward the game of softball." She then made her remark about Obama’s "rock star" status.

This kind of liberal pontificating isn’t new to Roberts. In April 2007, Clay Waters of MRC’s TimeWatch noted how Roberts slimed the Duke lacrosse players falsely accused of rape: "Don’t mess with Duke, though. To shine a light on its integrity has been treated by the irrational mighty as a threat to white privilege. Feel free to excoriate the African-American basketball stars and football behemoths for the misdeeds of all athletes, but lay off the lacrosse pipeline to Wall Street, excuse the khaki-pants crowd of SAT wonder kids." Waters also pointed out her hypocrisy with her gush about the Rutgers’ women’s basketball team’s reaction to Don Imus later that month.

I guess Obama could be a Messiah after all -- for Olympic softball.