President Obama seemed to enjoy himself watching the Rays in Cuba
President Barack Obama is known for being a big baseball fan. The POTUS has thrown out ceremonial first pitches, appeared on sports podcasts and golfed with New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter.
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Because he has more important things to do, it’s pretty rare to see the president actually take in a baseball game. But that wasn’t the case Tuesday. During his historic trip to Cuba, President Obama sat with Cuban president Raul Castro to watch a couple of innings as the Tampa Bay Rays took on the Cuban National Team.
From the looks of it, President Obama seemed to enjoy himself quite a bit.
Obama took part in the wave prior to the start of the contest, but once things started he seemed pretty focused on supporting the Rays. Both he and First Lady Michelle Obama were fairly animated during the contest.
After the Rays took the lead on a close play at home during the second inning, both Barack and Michelle celebrated to run. The president emphatically signaled that the runner was safe, and stood up to clap as Tampa Bay pulled ahead. As a show of good sportsmanship, he shook hands with Raul Castro after the display.
Obama also sat down with the ESPN television crew in the third inning. During the interview, president Obama focused on serious issues. He discussed the terrorist attack in Brussels, and talked about how he believes the relationship between the United States and Cuba will be beneficial in time.
There was some baseball talk, as the president spoke about the legacy of Jackie Robinson. Robinson’s wife and daughter attended the game with the president. He also took a quick moment to discuss his Chicago White Sox.
Following the interview, Obama left the stadium. Maybe he was trying to beat the traffic like most of us but, more than likely, he has a lot more to accomplish while he’s in Cuba.
[Related: Rays pitcher Chris Archer had some trouble getting a baseball glove to the president]
Before he left, though, the president took a moment to speak with Derek Jeter, who also attended the game. The two conversed quite a bit during the contest.
In a few months, the president will have a lot more free time on his hands. After watching him during Tuesday’s game, we’re guessing he might spend some of that time taking in some baseball games. With a little less on his plate, he might even be able to stay for the whole game next time.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
