[ESPN] Bush and Kerry on Sports

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=1913794

The issues that really matter....

ESPN.com
President Bush and Sen. John Kerry will appear on a special edition of ESPN's "SportsCenter" at 11 p.m. ET Monday, the eve of the presidential election.

Following are the transcripts of the interviews, which were conducted separately for ESPN by Jim Gray:

Performance-enhancing drugs

You brought up in your State of the Union address the issue of steroids. What impact do you think steroids have had on professional sports?

Bush: I have too many of my friends in baseball [who] believe that steroids [have] enhanced performance among some players, where a singles hitter might have gone to a home-run hitter. In making my statement, I didn't want to accuse any single player of violating baseball rules. What I was saying to people as clearly as a I could as a president, was that people in positions of responsibility must behave responsibly. And that the signal that steroids might be OK is a terrible signal to send to families and kids ... who aspire to be a major-leaguer or a football star. Members of Congress, [Arizona] Senator [John] McCain for example, followed up and hopefully as a result of our calling public attention to it, the people who run the different sports will insist upon a strong, strict steroid testing policy.

Kerry: I think that any artificial substance in the end is contrary to my sense, and most people's sense, of how sports ought to be played.

What would you do about it?

Kerry: Well, I think it's tough. It really requires regulation within the sport itself. I mean it's like anything. You gotta have discipline. You gotta have accountability. Spot checks have made a difference in some places. Some sports have been willing to accept it, others haven't. I think it's important to [have] accountability within the sport itself.

When you see the great performances in baseball and track and field, do you trust that they have been attained without cheating?

Bush: My first inclination is to say yes. Because I have seen some of these great players close up, particularly in baseball. I've seen their hand-eye coordination or incredible quickness. I feel it's very important for us not to pre-judge until the evidence is clear.

Physical fitness in America

What would you say, and how would you describe, the general fitness of the American public?

Kerry: A lot of America is unbelievably fit and a lot of America is not. That's how I'd describe it. We've got a country much aware of health than it used to be. Many more people eating differently with different drinking habits, smoking has changed. There's a lot of new awareness, but we have a long way to go. Obesity is a big problem in the United States and I think we can do a lot more to educate young people about the importance of taking care of themselves and staying fit. It just provides for a better life.

How would you rate, or judge, the physical fitness in America?

Bush: That's an interesting question. I would say mediocre. The reason why is because I don't think people take enough time out of their daily lives to exercise. The best way to prevent disease is to exercise. We don't exercise enough and there is a movement in corporate America, for example, to provide for exercise facilities. And that within the work day, people are given time to go exercise, and I think that's fabulous. I think it's part of a responsible culture for CEOs in corporate America that their bottom line is affected, as their employees become more healthy.

What is the impact that [obesity] has on the [health-care] system?

Kerry: Huge. Huge. In terms of diabetes, heart crisis, cancer. All of them are affected by what we eat, by what we take in. I think it drives the cost of health care up for everybody. It's part of the reason people are really feeling squeezed today. I think we need to get America much more involved in prevention and wellness. And that begins at the very beginning. We ought to be teaching kids in school about nutrition. We really ought to be making certain people learn about early screening for diseases, so you discover diabetes early rather than late and then suffer surgery, amputation or dialysis. All of which is more expensive.

And do you think that's possible? Don't you think that everybody's getting this information?

Kerry: No. Unbelievably, no. I mean I'm stunned frankly, but unless it's really concentrated and focused, it just isn't happening. You'd be amazed. ... I'll give you an example. Nancy Reagan did a spectacular job in the 'Just Say No' program. It actually had more impact on a lot of America's casual use of illicit drugs than almost anything else, because a lot of sports figures, a lot of known role models, became involved in real teaching and education. That's completely tapered off. You just don't see that level of intensity in it now. And I think we have to get back to that.

Athletes and us

Let me ask you about athletes as role models. Should they be role models?

Bush: Absolutely, as should politicians and so should moms and dads. The truth of the matter is that all of us have a responsibility, particularly when the spotlight is on us, to send good signals, to set a good example, and it's a burden for many athletes. I understand that. But there is a responsibility that comes with fame and glory on the athletic field. Every college team that comes here, you know we welcome the champs, the NCAA women's team and men's team, and it's really neat. ... I say, 'You're champions on the field, but you also have to be champions off the field.'

Who's your favorite athlete?

Kerry: It really depends on the sport. I mean you go to hockey and I love people like Wayne Gretzky and Jaromir Jagr and Cam Neely. You go back in time, Bobby Orr and you look at the great Bruins team and obviously I was raised with the Bruins. I mean there are some great, great role models. People who are extraordinary in a way in which they set a standard.

The issue of Pat Tillman was one that captivated everyone from around the country. What about his story resonates with you?

Bush: The Pat Tillman story is so unique. Here is a person who is living out what many people in America call a dream, playing pro football; you know, a professional football player making a lot of money, and for a lot of people who see that, they say, 'If I was only blessed with better athletic talent, that's what I would like to be doing.' And Pat Tillman gave it all up to become a soldier, special forces soldier, to protect America, and he was on dangerous missions, seeking and searching Taliban and Al Qaeda to protect us, and I can't tell you how much I admire that spirit of courage and sacrifice, and so does the country.

Pete Rose

How do you think Major League Baseball should respond to Pete Rose's request for reinstatement?

Bush: I believe Pete Rose should not be reinstated. Because I don't think he has come clean. Listen, the guy's a great player, no question about it. But I think Pete Rose needs to say that he had a problem and the problem is that he recognizes it, apologizes for it and recognizes the damage done to the game of baseball before [he's] admitted into the Hall of Fame, and he hasn't done that.

Kerry: Well, it's a tough one. If you just look at performance, he's one of the great performers. ... He'd be a slam dunk on performance, but as we know from Shoeless Joe and other experiences, gambling is treated differently and it's over the line. So, I think that it's my own inclination is that you gotta draw the line. You have to set the standard and gambling puts you outside.

How about the Hall of Fame? Should that be separate? Should he and his accomplishments be enshrined in the Hall of Fame?

Kerry: I don't know if there's a way to do that. Ah, maybe there is a way to recognize those accomplishments because they are considerable, they're extraordinary. And somehow separate it. That's again, maybe the executive committee can play Solomon there and find a way to do that.

(To Bush) As you move forward in your life, it's been rumored that before you had this job you wanted to be commissioner of baseball. Would you later on in life like to be commissioner of baseball?

Bush: No, I wouldn't.

Why does everyone think that, or has it been mentioned so often?

Bush: I think that there were rumors at one point in time that were circulating around baseball that I could be, that baseball might consider me. I can't remember, maybe someone asked and I said "I might be interested" or perhaps interested, I don't know. I had a wonderful time in baseball, I loved my time there. I still love to watch the games. There is nothing more therapeutic than watching a baseball game, whether it be the World Series or just a midseason game. I just enjoy it, I love the sport, but I really have no interest in serving as the commissioner after my time as president.

Cost for fans

What would be your response if big national events like the Super Bowl and the World Series were pay-per-view events?

Kerry: I wouldn't like that.

Where do you think the line should be drawn between sports on free television and sports on pay cable and pay-per-view TV?

Kerry: Who's gonna decide that is the consumer and, um, again that's a marketplace decision. That's not a government decision. When the fan gets outraged and furious at paying the prices and stops doing it, people are gonna respond. The owners will respond. In broadcast and otherwise. And I think these things tend to work out in the end.

Would you be concerned if that line was crossed and they said, 'We're going to put a Super Bowl on pay-per-view?'

Bush: That everything was on pay-per-view, of course I would be. But I think it would really speak to an economical malaise [in] either television or sports, where a bigger problem would need to be addressed. Now, having said that, I believe the market is functioning pretty well right now. Look at the World Series. A lot of people are watching the World Series, which, therefore, says to me, these providers of programs, Fox in this case, or NBC, CBS are wise to make sure these big events are still on free TV as a commercially viable decision for them. There also is obviously room for pay-per-view and cable in the marketplace. My hope, of course, is that the marketplace still demands and insists that there be over-the-air viewing for the big sporting events.

What exactly do you feel when you see the cost of these tickets to professional sporting events?

Bush: Well, as a former owner I feel like they better be careful, because they'll price themselves out of the reach of the consumer. I was always concerned when I was with the Rangers, that our ticket prices would become so high that the family would be priced out of baseball, and I always felt that baseball was a family sport. It's the kind of sport where moms and dads come and bring their kids, so their kids can hang over the rail, and the park needed to be family friendly. Part of the family-friendly environment is ticket prices, and so owners are going to have to be very careful because there is a price which the consumer will say, "I'm staying home and watch this thing on TV."

Kerry: Tickets are really tough on a lot of fans. Prices are just out of whack. And I think, I mean that's the fight you're seeing in the NHL right now. Part of the fight, not the whole fight. But, I don't know how fans do it. Some of these folks must be taking some money out of the college fund or something to put it aside for the cost of going to a game and paying for the parking and paying for ... the concessions and everything else. It's a pretty expensive venture.

Mr. President, I am wondering how you feel about taxpayers having to have a financial burden placed on them for building new stadiums and new facilities for existing teams?

Bush: Well, again this is a subject that I am very familiar [with]. When I was one of the owners of the Rangers, we went to the citizens of Arlington with a referendum that said, 'Here is a chance to build a new stadium if you want to.' I've always felt like citizen participation in the question about stadium financing is a necessary part of building a stadium. I felt very comfortable as owner of the Rangers to say, 'If you don't want a new stadium here's your chance to say you don't want a new stadium; if you do, here are the conditions that we together can build a stadium.'

How do you feel about taxpayers sharing some of the financial burden of paying for a new stadium for existing franchises across the country?

Kerry: I've supported that, but I want to make certain that when you do that again, these other kinds of things are balanced. The minute you get the public piece in there, then you have a right to demand some sort of public accountability. And the sports people can't have it both ways in my judgment. You can't have the public support a completely private enterprise and so the public, that's where the standards and the fans' protection becomes much more paramount.

Memorable sports moments

(To Bush) What was it like when you threw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium a couple of weeks after Sept. 11 in 2001?

Bush: I've been to conventions and debates, high-pressured moments, but perhaps the most intense of all was walking out in Yankee Stadium. They said, 'Would you like to warm up?' and I said, 'God, I better loosen up a little bit.' I went down and put the bulletproof vest on so I could make sure my arm was free enough to throw and it was. No one should ever make an excuse for having a bulletproof vest on. And I was loosening up with an old, grizzled-looking Yankee hand that must have been there for years. I never asked him if he warmed up Johnny Sain or Bob Turley. He and I were warming up and he said, 'You have a pretty good fastball, Mr. President.'

Derek Jeter walks in and he says to me, 'You going to throw from the mound?'

I said, 'I don't know, should I?'

He says, 'Throw from the mound.'

I said, 'OK, I think I will.'

And just as he's walking out, he says, 'Don't bounce it, they'll boo ya.'

So I went out and the crowd was so generous and warm with their chants and their cheers. I was so pumped up.

Were you scared?

Bush: I wasn't. Scared isn't the right word. I had an adrenaline boost, the likes of which I could feel pulsing through my veins, and I threw a strike and it was just a magnificent moment.

Kerry: I was in Shea Stadium in 1986. I was right off that first-base line when the ball went through [Bill] Buckner's legs. We had already cracked a bottle of champagne. We were already jumping up and down. We thought it was a done deal. ... But I love the Red Sox. They are a great, spirited team and it's an extraordinary franchise. One of the great franchises in the country, obviously.

(To Kerry) If you could pick a sport or a game to play against President Bush ...

Kerry: Tennis or horseshoes. What do they play up there in Kennebunkport? I don't know?

(To Bush) If you could play one game of anything you wanted with Senator Kerry, what would it be?

Bush: With my opponent? I guess it would be golf on a beautiful golf course, kind of a nice warm afternoon to just be able to walk down the fairway hitting the golf balls, but not too often, and just reminiscing about the 2004 campaign.