Sports
Which Athlete Could Become President? Three Most Presidential Athletes in 2024
Nov 2, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) works out prior to the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images Did you know it requires a minimum age of 35 to become President of the United States?
Like so many before me, I am willing to fade the rules when it comes to identifying three current or recently retired athletes with the potential to be President someday.
That’s good news for 28-year-old multilingual basketball MVP Jaylen Brown, 27-year-old PhD-bound track star Gabby Thomas and 20-year-old D.M. Jefferson (no relation to Thomas), who cited POTUS as his goal in life on his Little League World Series questionnaire eight years ago.
They won’t make the cut, however. And neither will real-life politicians like Bill Bradley, Herschel Walker and Caitlyn Jenner.
Only current and recently retired athletes need apply.
And that knocks out many other would-be candidates. Like Steve Kerr, Kevin Johnson and Gavin Newsom. And even some—like Megan Rapinoe, Steve Garvey and Arnold Schwarzenegger—who might get a few write-in votes.
Harvard’s Ryan Fitzpatrick holds the all-time Wonderlic Test record. He’s obviously very smart. But he’s out, as are former Ivy Leaguers Ron Darling of Yale and Brad Ausmus of Dartmouth.
To become President, you’re going to have to win an election. So that’s a factor here as well.
Welcome to the game. Travis Kelce, whose famous girlfriend has to be worth about 10 million votes; the Cavinder twins, because they know now to win the social media game; and Caitlin Clark, just because everyone except Diana Taurasi loves Caitlin Clark.
They might be able to pull it off. But I’m looking for Presidents here, not votes.
So that gets me down to four, including a tie for third that I’m going to break the tried-and-true method—alphabetical order.
Here are the three athletes I’d like to nominate for President of the United States… possibly as early as 2028, depending upon how Tuesday’s election plays out:
STEPHEN CURRY
As we witnessed once again in Paris, everything Curry touches turns to gold. He’s the most sense-making voice of the NBA, an icon for every kid who can draw an arc in chalk, a generous supporter of everything female, a global ambassador, and everybody’s dream son, brother, uncle and father.
The Warriors won’t let him retire in anything other than blue and gold because he owns the San Francisco Bay Area. Heck, he could be its first-ever emperor someday. Yes, he could pull it off. And bet on this: The A’s, Raiders, Golden Seals and even Elon Musk would all come crawling back.
SERENA WILLIAMS
Jul 11, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Former tennis star Serena Williams arrives on the red carpet before hosting the 2024 ESPYS at Dolby Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images The Queen of England has the perennial Wimbledon champion on speed dial. How’s that for diplomatic relations?
She’s part Tiger Woods. Part Michelle Obama. Part Beyonce. The ultimate champion with or without bright lights. She’s even part Kamala Harris. Or, as Harris would be wise to remind people on her big day: She’s part Serena Williams.
RICHARD SHERMAN
Richard Sherman is a former NFL cornerback. credits: Brian Westerholt | source: AP Speaking of Woods, the modern-day Muhammad Ali has got to be considered as well. A man who still makes opponents quiver… kinda like fellow Stanford alum Sherman.
The nod here goes to Sherman, in large part because he’s already taken on a taller task than replacing Joe Biden—becoming the next Charles Barkley. If you remember, Chuck once tested the political waters in Alabama. Sherman has the power to conquer a whole lot more than that.
Sports
Jadelyn Allchin's hot bat leads Talons to AUSL title
Jun 2, 2024; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; UCLA Bruins outfielder Jadelyn Allchin (40) hits a single in the third inning against the Stanford Cardinals during a Women’s College World Series softball losers bracket elimination game at Devon Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-Imagn Images Championship Series MVP Jadelyn Allchin homered, doubled and drove in three runs to lead the Utah Talons to a 6-1 victory over the Chicago Bandits on Sunday at College Station, Texas, to win the Athletes Unlimited Softball League Championship for the second straight year.
Allchin hit a two-run homer in the first inning and an RBI double in the fourth to lead the Talons to the victory in the clinching Game 2 of the best-of-three championship series. Utah recorded a 2-1 victory over the Bandits in Game 1 on Saturday.
Bri Ellis and Sahvanna Jaquish also homered for the Talons. Right-hander Montana Fouts pitched a complete game and gave up eight hits. She struck out four and walked one.
Skylar Wallace drove in the lone Chicago run with a single in the seventh inning. It was her second hit of the game.
Bandits right-hander Kat Sandercock gave up four runs (two earned) and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. Allchin’s double knocked her out of the contest.
The Talons also beat the Bandits in last year’s championship series in the first campaign of the AUSL.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Freddy Peralta says Sunday was 'probably' his final Mets start
Jul 20, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; New York Mets pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images Freddy Peralta believes he may have made his final start for the New York Mets on Sunday, with the struggling club expected to trade the right-hander before the Aug. 3 deadline.
Peralta conceded the likelihood of a move after allowing three runs — two earned — on six hits and two walks over four innings in an 8-3 victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He needed 93 pitches to record 12 outs and finished with three strikeouts.
“I know it probably is,” Peralta said when asked whether he believes that was his last time pitching for the Mets.
Peralta is currently scheduled to start Friday against the Miami Marlins, but New York has little incentive to retain an impending free agent after falling well outside the National League playoff picture.
The Mets acquired Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers during the offseason with the expectation that he would lead their rotation. Instead, the two-time All-Star has gone 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA through 22 starts, going at least six innings only six times.
His struggles have become more pronounced of late. Peralta has not recorded a quality start since June 3 and has posted a 7.34 ERA since that outing.
“I know so far I’ve let them down,” Peralta said. “I haven’t done what I was supposed to do.”
The 30-year-old entered the season coming off a career-best season going 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA and 204 strikeouts over 176 2/3 innings with Milwaukee. That track record, along with the demand for starting pitching among contenders, should keep him among New York’s most marketable deadline pieces despite his recent results.
Peralta said he remains confident he can rediscover his previous form, whether that opportunity comes with the Mets or another organization.
“We haven’t done what we expected to do, in general, but especially myself,” Peralta said. “I know I can be way better than this. I still believe in myself. I was born to be a winner and not a loser. I think I have a lot in me, a lot to show. I know it can change because I still have time to make a change.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Stephen Curry's Future With the Warriors Suddenly Feels Less Certain
You can add the Golden State Warriors to your list of teams that missed out on LeBron James this summer.
The Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat are all probably a little miffed about LeBron’s drawn out decision to join the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency.
But as Golden State appears stuck in the middle of a loaded Western Conference, reports are circulating that superstar guard Stephen Curry might no longer be on the same page as the front office.
“I think he’s probably tired of the star chasing,” The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson II reported.
After Kevin Durant’s departure, the Warriors won the 2022 NBA Championship by defeating the Boston Celtics. That was Steph’s first championship, and Curry won his first career Finals MVP.
But the Warriors have failed to reach the mountaintop since that last title six years ago. Curry is older. Draymond Green is older. Klay Thompson left Golden State in 2024 to join the Dallas Mavericks.
Curry is eligible for an extension at the end of August, and it’ll be very fascinating to see what the 38-year-old decides to do. If he decides to wait on a contract extension, Curry will be an unrestricted free agent in 2027. Even at 39, he would have no shortage of suitors if he decides to keep playing.
It’s so hard to imagine Curry in anything but a Warriors jersey. Right now, he’s faced with an interesting dilemma. He can become one of the rare NBA stars to play their entire career with the same team. It helps his case to be mentioned in the same breath as what Kobe Bryant meant to the Los Angeles Lakers and what Tim Duncan meant to the San Antonio Spurs.
On popular prediction markets, like Kalshi, that allow users to buy and sell contracts of real-world outcomes, Curry certainly has a chance to be moved. Kalshi has a market for Stephen Curry’s next team – if the future Hall of Famer is moved ahead of October 21, 2026.
It would be a blockbuster surprise if Curry were to be traded months before the deadline. But as of July 26, over $135,000 in volume has been traded on Curry’s next team.
On Kalshi, the overwhelmingly most likely outcome is for Curry to remain with the Warriors or retire by October 21st, an implied 87% chance of happening. They give the Spurs a 13% chance, the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks both have an 11% chance and Curry’s hometown Charlotte Hornets have a 9% chance. These odds will fluctuate by the minute.
Don’t expect the Warriors to trade Curry before the calendar flips to 2027. It would be a huge surprise if they did. But this report of a slight rift is something that bears monitoring.
Curry is still one of the great guards in this sport. He has a legacy to think about. And he just watched his buddy LeBron leave a pretty comfortable situation with the Lakers to gamble on bringing a championship to his fourth franchise.
Winning is what makes these greats happy. They want to contend for championships. The Warriors are planning for their future, so of course Curry doesn’t like that.
Jadelyn Allchin's hot bat leads Talons to AUSL title
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