March Premium Auction Ending April 3, 5 & 6
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/6/2021
It has become a staple in offices around the country – filling out the brackets for the NCAA Tournament. Often referred to as bracketology, millions fill out their brackets for monetary reward or simply for bragging rights. In 2012, ESPN had President Barack Obama fill out his “office pool”, coining the show BARACK-ETOLOGY.
Aired live on ESPN, the former president started filling in the bracket board with then ESPN College Basketball personality Adam Katz as they went up and down the board by region. This offered large 63 x 36-inch framed whiteboard is the very board Barack Obama filled out and signed on TV. The board has “PRESIDENTIAL BRACKET 2012 MEN’S TOURNAMENT” across the top in black print, with the “2012 FINAL FOUR NEW ORLEANS” faded logo in the center and the Presidential Seal at the bottom center.
With the cameras rolling, they started with the South region, picking the winners of the Round of 32 games and the former president handwrote his picks on this white board with his left hand. In the South, he chose Kentucky, Indiana, Baylor and Duke, providing analysis along the way. He then moved down the board to the West region, where he handwrote Michigan St, New Mexico, Marquette and Missouri (Mizzou). President Obama then moved on to the right side of this board, picking Syracuse, Wisconsin, Florida St and Ohio State from the East Region and then capped off the round of 32 by picking North Carolina (N. Carolina), Michigan, N.C. State and Kansas from the Midwest Region.
Obama and Katz then shifted back to the South region for the Sweet Sixteen picks and the 44th President chose Kentucky and Baylor to advance to the Elite 8, followed by Michigan St. (Mich St) and Missouri (Mizzou) in the West, Syracuse and Ohio State in the East and North Carolina (N. Carolina) and Kansas in the Midwest. President Obama then picked Kentucky out of the South, Missouri (Mizzou) out the West, Ohio State out of the East and North Carolina out of the Midwest to reach the Final Four. Obama then closes out the picks by picking Kentucky over Missouri and North Carolina (TAR HEELS) over Ohio State with North Carolina as the National Champions. Obama then signs his name in the same black marker to the left of the FINAL FOUR logo. A truly one-of-a-kind presidential item and the former president picked two of the Final Four teams (Kentucky and Ohio State) and just missed out on picking the overall winner as he had Kentucky in the championship game, but picked North Carolina – who lost to Kansas in the Midwest Region Final. This comes with a LOA from Beckett Authentication (AA09018) for Obama’s signature. Please note that due to the size and weight of this item, shipping costs will be higher.
An incredible piece of basketball history, and easily the finest piece of Obama and sports ever offered anywhere. Significant pieces signed by President Obama are very scarce and few and far between, an exceptional rarity for the finest collection.
ESPN video from YouTube