THROUGH PERSONAL TRAGEDY, a 36-year Senate career and two terms as vice president, Joe Biden has viewed athletes and athletic competition as sources of virtue, uplift and common ground. He credits sports with instilling the confidence to overcome his stutter and, at times, delivering his own family a sense of healing.
As the nation's 46th president, Biden's sentimental view of athletics and his promise to steer the nation away from political division should put him in a position to repair the strained relationship between the White House and much of the sports world.
"He's certainly going to look to sports and sports figures to help bring us back into alignment as Americans," Francis Biden, the president-elect's younger brother, told ESPN.