New Orleans Saints Come Marching In as Obama Basks in the Sporting Life

Though there were shouts of "Who dat?!" at the White House on Monday morning, everyone was well aware of who was visiting the East Room: The New Orleans Saints, winners of Super Bowl XLIV, had come to town to meet President XLIV of the United States, Barack Obama. The Marine Band dropped "Hail to the Chief" in favor of "When the Saints Go Marching In" and a parade of very large men entered the room, many of whom were taking their own digital photos or camera-phone snaps. ("You take pictures of us and we take pictures of you!" said one player to the press pool.) It's been nearly six months to the day since the Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts to bring their city its first Lombardi Trophy, but the cause for celebration had not yet dimmed.

Five years after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans was back on the map with its victory, though now its future is shadowed again -- this time by the BP oil spill disaster. The fishing and shrimping industries are in limbo and much of the local economy is on pause until an offshore drilling moratorium is lifted. The president noted as much, saying, "Obviously the Gulf region has spent the last few months besieged by yet another crisis." James Carville, not long ago seen freaking out over the White House response to the spill, was sitting in the front row alongside his wife, Mary Matalin -- a reminder of the drama of weeks past. Obama, at least, had good news to deliver: "Yesterday, we learned that a procedure to prevent any more oil from spilling with a cement plug appears to have succeeded. And the final steps will be taken later in August when the relief well is completed. But what is clear is that the battle to stop the oil from flowing into the Gulf is just about over."

That matter aside, this event wasn't about BP or Katrina. It was about the Saints -- and, more specifically, the president's love of the game. If Obama has shown himself to be amped up about anything, it's sports. He's done one-on-ones with Marv Albert, exchanged World Cup jerseys with African leaders, and said the secret to a happy marriage is a passion for ESPN's "Sports Center."

If all that wasn't proof enough, on Sunday the White House gathered an all-star cast of NBA legends -- Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Pau Gasol, Magic Johnson, Bill Russell, Derek Fisher, Chauncey Billups (basically everybody but Michael Jordan and Larry Bird) -- to play in front of a crowd of wounded veterans and participants in a Washington mentoring program. The game was closed to the press because, as Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said, the president "just wanted to play."

At Monday's NFL event at the White House, the president, unsurprisingly, was all smiles and easy handshakes. He commended Saints quarterback Drew Brees on his work to combat childhood obesity, but reserved extra-special admiration for the QB's record-breaking accuracy. Brees, the president noted, spent the season "completing more than 70 percent of his passes." Then added, "I have a few staffers who were thrilled to have Drew on their fantasy team." He reminisced about tossing the pigskin around with league superstars last year while filming a public service announcement: "[Brees] tossed me a nice tight spiral that I then lateraled to a kid on DeMarcus Ware's shoulders. I also want to point out I beat Troy Polamalu over the middle on that throw." It was, to those in attendance, a rare example of the commander-in-chief fanning out.

And unlike at most East Room events, where the president's entrance and exit is a no-frills procession, this time Obama stuck around to work the room after making his remarks -- chatting with players not invited to the stage, teasing, "What, do they have you guys carrying bags now?" and joshing with running back Reggie Bush. (It was unclear what the exchange was, but it erupted in a whoop of laughter and ended in a series of shoulder grabs and handshakes.) He disappeared off the stage and was presumed gone, until someone spotted him on the other side of the room, ginning it up with a new group of sports fans, smiling and posing for photos. Minutes passed, and the president had not yet left.

"Is he still here?" one reporter asked. "This is his favorite kind of crowd," said one seasoned cameraman. "Anything having to do with sports."