Obama will play 3-on-3 basketball to register Indiana voters

[DeepModem Mom]

CNN: March 28, 2008
Obama will play 3-on-3 basketball to register Indiana voters

HAMMOND, Indiana (CNN) — Barack Obama will put his well-reputed basketball skills on the line in an effort to register young voters in this hoops-obsessed primary state, his campaign announced Friday.

Obama's staff is hoping the chance to play a game of 3-on-3 pick-up with the presidential candidate will entice Indiana high school students to register their friends to vote in the state's May 6 contest. Every student that signs up at least 20 new voters before Indiana's April 7 registration deadline will be eligible to be picked to play against Obama in a game the campaign is calling "The 3-on-3 Challenge for Change."

Students who will be 18 by Election Day this November are eligible to vote in the state's primary.

One winning student will be selected for the game, and he or she will then pick two friends to take on Obama's team at their own high school. Obama's squad will include at least one college student who also signs up new voters, but the campaign has yet to determine who will be the third member.

The Illinois senator played basketball in high school, when he was a member of Punahou High School’s 1979 Hawaii state championship team, and he continues to work court time into his campaign schedule. Obama was described as "fiercely competitive" on the court in an examination of his hoops prowess last year by the New York Times. A more recent Sports Illustrated story written about Obama's game before the Iowa caucuses heaped praise on the senator's easy jump shot.

The contest was announced Friday by former NBA player Calbert Cheaney, the Evansville native who was named the state's Mr. Basketball in 1989 before going on to play for Bob Knight at Indiana University, where he became the Big Ten's all-time leading scorer.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/03/28/obama-to-play-3-on-3-basketball-to-register-indiana-voters/

[stray cat]

1. Now thats a campaign strategy!

[Cha]

13. Don't you love it! A team

sport!

[stellanoir]

2. What fun !!!

Much better broad appeal than windsurfing. That's not a Kerry slur either but it's quite obvious.

[Beregond2]

3. Basketball

A welcome bit of fun in this nasty campaign.

[goclark]

4. Now that's creative and sounds like lots of fun!

I would love to see that one.

[Arkana]

5. This is pure awesome.

First the dinner he's planning, and now this.

[Cha]

14. Dinner and a

basketball game..how inviting!

[global1]

6. He Never Ceases To Amaze Me.........

what a neat way to get the youth involved. What a likable and down to earth guy. America needs him.

[babylonsister]

7. He's got (ground) game! nt

[Cha]

15. Touche!

[Tinksrival]

8. I love it!

The OBAMA White House is going to be so cool!

[Old and In the Way]

9. Watch McCain counter with an offer for a lively game of checkers with

whoever can register the most new Republicans in the GE. Shouldn't be difficult to count the winner sign-ups.

[Cha]

16. Bill Maher has a video game called

Virtual Fireplace with john mccain along with an Under Sniper Fire starring hilary clinton.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5320721#5320949

[Kittycat]

10. Great way to get kids involved :)

[AwakeAtLast]

11. I didn't understand the basketball hysteria in Indiana until I moved here

When I was new to the state I went to a restaurant with a friend one evening. All of a sudden, most of the customers got up and left. I asked what was going on, the server replied, "IU basketball game starts in 15 minutes."

He is working the right strategy here, that's for sure! :hi:

[applegrove]

12. That sounds cool. I'd love to see that.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

17. he was called Barry the Bomber on his high school team

guess the media will call him a terrorist for that.