It can be an annoying thing, that Kiss Cam. It's a scoreboard staple, at most professional events, fixating a camera on two attendees while hoping that the patrons in question aren't either brother and sister (which I've seen in person, and it's as awkward as you could imagine), or someone taking their paramour out on a secret sportin' rendezvous. Most of all, though, the people behind the Kiss Cam at every stadium are just hoping that the cam's focus is placed on a pair that is actually paying attention to the scoreboard at the time, and not each other.
[ Photos: Obamas watch Team USA ]
It's fair to say that President Barack Obama, while sitting next to first lady Michelle Obama, was more interested in his wife at the time the Kiss Cam found those two on the scoreboard during Monday night's Team USA men's basketball exhibition match against Brazil. And, unfortunately for the POTUS, he whiffed as a result. Watch:
It's only awkward if you know it's happening. Because the couple wasn't actually watching the scoreboard at the time, their response is just another instance of the president and first lady acting as if they know just about every eye in the building is on them (as it's been since, say, 2004 or so), but not knowing that EVERY eye plus a TV audience was on them. Too much court awareness, President Obama, and not enough scoreboard novelty awareness.
[ Photos: NBA pros playing for their home country ]
Later, in the fourth quarter of Team USA's 80-69 comeback win, the president was afforded a second chance on the Kiss Cam and did what came naturally with the first lady. Naturally to him, at least, because my natural response would be to bound out of my seat and yell at the camera operator about how my affection toward my better half WAS NOT TO BE PUT ON DISPLAY FOR YOU MOUTH-BREATHERS before storming off back to my giant paid-for mansion where cooks can make any meal I can think of for me at all hours based off a single call from a landline phone that probably only has three buttons on it. Also, the White House has a helipad.
The president just chose to kiss his wife. Which is pretty cool, I guess.
LeBron James, who will probably have a helipad someday, had 30 points in the win.
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