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Were you upset this past Monday night when you had to choose between watching the presidential debate live and watching "Monday Night Football" live? Worry no more. ESPN's going to mash your sports and politics together for you.
At halftime of the Week 9 "Monday Night Football" game, according to the Sports Business Journal, ESPN's Chris Berman will likely be interviewing President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney. It's not set in stone, but the SBJ says both campaigns have asked ESPN about it, and that ESPN president Vince Doria is "strongly considering" it.
It happened four years ago, when then-Senator Obama was running against Senator John McCain. Berman gave them separate three-minute interviews. It took place on the eve of the election and was, literally, the last chance for each candidate to reach such a broad audience before the polls opened. This year, if it happens as proposed, it would also take place the night before the election.
The questions from Berman would be softballs and/or have some relation to sports, which is fine, because it's ESPN and Chris Berman may not be the guy you want directing a foreign policy debate. Four years ago, Berman asked both candidates what they'd change about sports if they could, and if they could choose one sporting event to attend each year, what it would be. You can read the transcript here. Obama said he'd like to see a college football playoff and McCain said he'd fight against performance-enhancing drugs.
They're probably not questions that are going to sway a great many people this late in the game, but it's one last chance to appear friendly, confident, and as a football-loving man of the people.
The ESPN game that night features the Philadelphia Eagles traveling to take on the New Orleans Saints. President Obama's favorite team is the Chicago Bears, and Romney supports the New England Patriots, so there's no conflict there.
