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Baffoe: Assessing Donald Trump's Future Sports Presidential Medal Of Freedom Nominees

By Tim Baffoe--

(CBS) Americans of all political persuasions are still attempting more than a week later to get comfortable in the stiff new chair that is the reality of president-elect Donald Trump. Bit by bit, they're realizing a fuller and fuller scope of just what that will entail. It's so much more than policy-making and photo ops with other world leaders.

There will be the Donald Trump Fabergé egg hunt on the White House lawn at Easter and Donald Trump pardoning a turkey at Thanksgiving (or taking out a full page ad on why innocent turkeys should be executed). The will be the Donald Trump Presidential Library and Casino, complete with The Art of the Deal, issues of Hustler and various racing forms.  

All that otherwise mundane procedural PR fat of the job will now feature (winces) Donald J. Trump, including selections for the Presidential Medal of Freedom. On Wednesday, President Barack Obama announced the final selections of his tenure for the honor, and they include three sports figures of the 21 choices: recently retired Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully, Hall of Fame NBA star and activist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Internet metaphor of epic failure Michael Jordan.

"The Presidential Medal of Freedom is not just our nation's highest civilian honor — it's a tribute to the idea that all of us, no matter where we come from, have the opportunity to change this country for the better," Obama said on the White House's website. "From scientists, philanthropists, and public servants to activists, athletes and artists, these 21 individuals have helped push America forward, inspiring millions of people around the world along the way."

You should also expect Trump to select impactful sports figures for the honor, just as presidents dating back to JFK have done. But who in the sporting world has yet to be recognized on the highest of pedestals will be gilded by Trump? The following are some early candidates to consider:

Curt Schilling: It'll likely be Sen. Curt Schilling when he's selected for this award, representing the great state of Massachusetts and its white supremacist contingent. His contribution to the American fabric includes legitimizing Facebook as a bastion of political rhetorical analysis, sticking up for middle-aged men who find high school girls attractive and embodying the true American spirit of completely manufacturing our most mythical sports experiences (but I seriously did drop 50 points on St. Patricia in eighth grade with the flu).

Richie Incognito: Few Americans on the field or off it have shown the resiliency of Incognito, a testament to the righteous resistance to the wussification of this country. In a world that wanted a gluten-free NFL, the current Buffalo Bills offensive lineman couldn't be broken by those who have never played the game and therefore can't understand the importance of ridiculing a teammate until he develops a complex that causes him to question his value in life let alone the game. Just like a football team, America's foundation was enriched with the blood, sweat and tears of those bullied with racism and homophobia by cartoonish man-children like Incognito.

Floyd Mayweather: Is there any athlete alive today who better embodies the merits of American capitalism? By that, I mean continuously acquiring insane gobs of cash for professional violence while condoned for continuous private violence. In perhaps American sports' dirtiest corner -- boxing -- Mayweather, a serial woman beater, shines like the most polished of turds. He's truly an example to all of us money trumps all, and it's just the cost of success if you have serially abused women or grabbed them by the...

Bill Laimbeer: Are you a petulant rich kid who doesn't like that the opponent might be more talented than you? Throw low blows. Turn the game into a street brawl. That's America, damn it. That was Tr-, I mean, Bill Laimbeer.

Charles Barkley: Barkley really gets it. He's one of the good o … I mean, for him it's not about race in this country or thinking America owes you anything. It's about shaming people for not bettering themselves into a position of putting $500,000 on the blackjack game like Sir Charles can do. And because Chuck makes the status quo comfortable on Facebook by trying to not make things about race, he was given the future Emmy-winning show titled The Race Card.

And maybe Barkley could bring Shaq to the medal event. Oh, I like that Shaq. He seems so nice and is a cop or something, too. And maybe Chuck could fight Laimbeer again.

Tanya Harding: America is about the hard workers, the ones who wake up every day and put their best foots forward, just trying to get that carrot of the American Dream dangling so close to our noses. And then someone better and prettier and less trashy East Coaster swoops in front of us and takes what was rightfully ours. Harding's refusal to sit back and accept that we're not entitled to whatever we want and, if need be, to take by force showed a fortitude in the 1990s by which 21st-century America will be defined. And she became a mediocre boxer to boot.

Roger Goodell: He understands that to be successful, difficult decisions must be made that maybe a lot of people might not agree with. But history will vindicate Goodell. While his league continued to balloon with profit, he may have seemed wishy-washy on pesky peripherals like domestic violence among the workforce and players literally dying for the game while the game lied about it. But he had to be in order to focus on what's most important -- the war on drugs. Goodell is an American metaphor. And to say he doesn't care about women? Ha. He loves women. Nobody has more respect for women than Rog does.

The NFL Pink campaign alone should get him his medal. True, the league is dealing with a suddenly waning fan interest and might be going the direction of the highly underappreciated USFL, but we'll look back on this blip on the football radar as just another notch on Goodell belt.

How do I know? Because of the president-elect himself. One NFL team executive told Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman the following:  

"Under President (Barack) Obama, the country was intellectual and looked at facts. I think that's why our ratings fell. People read a lot about our scandals or CTE and didn't like what they saw. Under Trump, the country will care less about truth or facts. It'll be (more raw) and brutal. Football will be more of an outlet. We'll go back to liking our violent sports."

Gosh, I sure hope so. Americans like these need to be recognized in this new America. Of course, this list is all just guesses. Trump could surprise us with someone like the forgotten Denny McLain or the dog from Air Bud (posthumously). Surely a valid case for such will be made.

If you have any nominees of your own in this exciting time for the country, take a break from the political memes on Facebook and be sure to put them in the comments section on 670 The Score's page that I and all of the writers very religiously read and respect highly.

Tim Baffoe is a columnist for CBSChicago.com. Follow Tim on Twitter @TimBaffoe. The views expressed on this page are those of the author, not CBS Local Chicago or our affiliated television and radio stations.

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