Stern Helped Carry the Torch

There are no videos, there are no pictures. But NBA commissioner David Stern participated in the Olympic torch relay in San Francisco this week, which is interesting for two reasons. The first, from the Sacramento Bee's Ailene Voisin:

My sources informed me - and it was later confirmed by the man himself - that Stern, dressed appropriately in shorts and sneakers, jogged his assigned two blocks on the course that had been altered hours earlier to avoid a potential conflict between protest groups. The very thought of the sweaty, roundish Commish - who tends toward preppy attire when not in a more formal suit - plodding along the streets of The City cracks me up. Had I been warned, I would have staked out a prime viewing spot.

(Weird.) The other thought that comes to mind: Two presidential candidates -- from either side of the aisle -- have either said they would or have called on President Bush to no-show the Opening Ceremonies in Beijing. (Bush has not made a decision yet.) Meanwhile, the commissioner of basketball in America is not only embracing the Games, but it participating in the highly controversial torch relay. It's probably fair to say standing against the Games is politically safe in the United States right about now; Stern has obvious interests in China beyond Team USA's production this summer, but it's still a fairly risky move.

It remains to be seen, however, how far Stern will thrust his league into the limelight/firing line. Team USA star Kobe Bryant has come out in support of aid for Darfur (China's role in Darfur is a serious chit in all these protests) -- can Kobe really be a face of the American Olympic contingent without some sort of inconsistency? We'll see.