Which presidents have played sports?

Answer 1

This question is already the subject of at least one book. Sitting presidents are most apt to fish, swim and play Golf. When they were young, several were pretty good athletes and played organized football, Basketball and Baseball. Riding and hunting were popular activities.

Answer 2

Gerald Ford was probably the best athlete among the presidents. He was captain of his football team at the University of Michigan which is a football power and was given two offers to play professional football. Eisenhower showed a high level of athletic potential when he was young. Kennedy was an excellent golfer. Obama was 6th man on his state champion high school basketball team. Reagan won swimming races as a young man.

Americans mostly considered athletics to be a waste of time until fairly recently. Washington, Lincoln and Garfield all gained some attention for their physical strength and might have been good athletes if they had some incentive to be so.

Answer 3

Herbert Hoovers primary physician created a new sport in order to keep the president fit. This sport, dubbed Hooverball, involves throwing a weighted medicine ball over a large net similar to volleyball, but it is scored similar to tennis.

Answer 4

Gerald Ford played football at Michigan. Theodore Roosevelt was an avid hunter of big game, if you call that a sport.

Answer 5

I am not aware that any US Presidents played soccer. Certainly none played at a very high level .