New York Senator Chuck Schumer has called a foul on German sports equipment giant Adidas AG and its plans to shift production of official National Basketball Association uniforms to Thailand from a factory in upstate New York.

In a statement, Schumer said the shift could cut some 100 jobs at American Classic Outfitters in Perry, New York, which has made official NBA gear for about 40 years.

“It is flat wrong for Adidas to move the production of the jerseys worn by NBA players outside the United States when there are U.S. companies that have done this work so well for so long,” the Democratic lawmaker said in a statement.

“To do it in this economic climate adds insult to injury,” he added. “The jerseys the NBA players wear should be made in the USA, plain and simple.”

Adidas told ACO several weeks ago that it was canceling a contract that started in 2008 and was supposed to run through the end of 2014, according to The Buffalo News.

The company said in a statement the shift in production was part of a supply-chain consolidation, to move production closer to the source of the fabrics now being used.

About half of the NBA’s game-day jerseys have been made in Perry, along with uniforms worn by the WNBA and teams in the NBA’s farm leagues.

- Photo credit: Reuters/Steve Dipaola (Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge shoots)

Forget about Afghanistan, healthcare and the economy. President Barack Obama took time out on Thursday to indulge in his favorite sport as he hosted cabinet members and lawmakers for a round of pickup games on the White House basketball court.

It was the biggest day of hoop dreams at the White House since Obama took office, and reporters disappointed at being kept away went one-on-one with Press Secretary Robert Gibbs before the opening tip-off.

As for why were journalists being barred: “To protect the privacy and the statistics of any of those involved,” he quipped at his daily briefing.

As for who would referee between political friends and foes: “I assume they call their own fouls, which I’m sure is a point of contention at any given point,” Gibbs said.

As for why no women made the cut: “The point is well taken,” Gibbs said, conceding that as the father of two young daughters Obama would have to seek gender equality next time.

The roster included Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, and 11 members of Congress, including two Republicans.

Earlier in the day, Obama also dropped by to watch a game on the White House court played by the Marine Wounded Warrior basketball team from the National Naval Medical Center.

And it seems Obama’s still got game. Gibbs said while playing on a church court during a visit to New York last month the president repeatedly blocked the shots of his personal assistant, Reggie Love, a former Duke University forward.

Obama had Love sign a photograph to prove his shot-swatting ability and had it put on display in the West Wing for his enjoyment as he walks to and from meetings, Gibbs said. It was brought into the briefing room as Gibbs recounted the story. Love, smiling uncomfortably, later slipped in and took it back.

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Photo credit: Reuters/Jim Young (Gibbs shows photo of Obama blocking shot by Love)

Instead of a cultural icon, well-known author or scholar, President Barack Obama sought the advice of … a basketball player as he talked of the importance of strong U.S.-Chinese economic ties.

In a speech opening the Strategic Economic Dialogue between the United States and China, Obama — an avid basketball fan and player — quoted China’s most popular sports star and Houston Rockets center, Yao Ming.

Obama said he and Chinese President Hu Jintao both agreed the two nations needed to hold “sustained dialogue to enhance our shared interests.”

Then he went for the analogy.

“As a new President and also as a basketball fan, I have learned from the words of Yao Ming, who said, ‘No matter whether you are new or an old team member, you need time to adjust to one another.’”

“Well, through the constructive meetings that we’ve already had, and through this dialogue, I’m confident that we will meet Yao’s standard.”

Wonder if it makes a difference that the seven-time All Star just had foot surgery which will rule him out for the whole next NBA season?

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Photo credit: REUTERS/Danny Moloshok (Yao plays in basketball game in May)

Call it the March Madness Mystery – why did President Barack Obama change his pick of which college basketball team would win the NCAA tournament?

Obama, an avid basketball fan and recreational player, first chose Pittsburgh to go into the semifinal against Louisville, which he predicted would win the whole thing.

But then something changed his mind. He scratched out Pittsburgh, wrote in North Carolina to play against Louisville and then changed his choice of tournament winner to the Tarheels.

What does he know that we don’t? What made him switch from having no confidence that North Carolina would even reach the semifinals to full confidence they would be the champions?

In earlier plays, Obama also switched to Tennessee from Oklahoma, to Florida State from Xavier, to VCU from UCLA, and to Oklahoma from Clemson.

He did the picks on a board that carried the presidential seal and title “Presidential Bracket,” according to ESPN.com.

Wonder what team Obama would have chosen if Oregon State were in the bracket, after all that’s where his brother-in-law is a basketball coach.

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Photo credit: Reuters/Jeff Haynes (UNC mascot at last year’s NCAA game)

We all know that Barack Obama knows his way around the basketball court. He also has a decent golf swing. But what about tennis?

That is one of the things British Prime Minister Gordon Brown inquired about during his first visit to the Oval Office since Obama took over the presidency on Jan. 20. Tom Bradby of ITV News asked them how they found working with each other.

PRIME MINISTER BROWN: Yes, Tom, I’ve enjoyed every conversation that we’ve had, both on the telephone and when we’ve met. I don’t think I could ever compete with you at basketball — perhaps tennis.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Tennis,  I hear you got a game.

PRIME MINISTER BROWN: Yes, we could maybe have a — have a shot.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: We haven’t tried it yet.

PRIME MINISTER BROWN: I don’t know if you — I think you’d be better. But there we are.

Their search for something in common recalled George W. Bush’s first meeting with then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair at Camp David in early 2001. Those two decided they had at least one thing in common — they both used Colgate toothpaste.

The leaders of the United States and Britain like to foster a “special relationship.” With that in mind, Brown did not get all the bells and whistles that such visits have received in the past. There was no high-profile East Room news conference after their talks. Instead it was an Oval Office Q & A session with reporters.

But the two leaders seemed to get on well and Obama talked up the special ties between the two countries.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, first of all, the special relationship between the United States and Great Britain is one that is not just important to me, it’s important to the American people.

Alas, no word if they checked out the tennis court on the White House grounds.

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- Photo credit: Reuters/Jason Reed (Obama and Brown in the Oval Office.)

Team Obama accomplished Saturday what the president’s beloved Chicago Bulls basketball team was unable to do the night before: win. 
 
President Barack Obama played basketball in the morning at the newly renovated Interior Department court with friends and staff, including Chicago pal Marty Nesbitt, press aide Ben Finkenbinder and Reggie Love, who serves as Obama’s personal assistant and Saturday also carried the basketball.
 
White House officials declined to comment on details of the outing.
 
“The president enjoys playing basketball when possible. This was a private game with friends and some staff,” one administration official said.
 
One of the players on Obama’s team, however, said the president’s side had won the game.
 
The president left the White House wearing track pants, a black jacket, running shoes and his White Sox baseball cap for the five-block motorcade to the Interior Department.
 
The game was played on the department’s newly renovated basketball court, one of the original amenities of the 72-year-old building. The court was recently renovated and its massive skylight was uncovered and restored during the work.
 
Friday night the president took in the Chicago Bulls-Washington Wizards basketball game played at the Verizon Center sitting courtside opposite the Wizards bench.
 
The Bulls lost 113-90.
 
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Photo credit: Reuters/Molly Riley (Obama watches Bulls-Wizards basketball game Friday)

WASHINGTON - President-elect Barack Obama did not have to look far to find his choice for education secretary — just across the basketball court.

Obama and his education choice, Arne Duncan, play pick-up basketball games together, and Duncan has a history in the sport having played on the Harvard basketball team while a student there and then professionally in Australia.

At a news conference in Chicago to announce Duncan’s nomination, Obama chuckled when talking about the Chicago-area native.

“I did not select Arne because he’s one of the best basketball players I know,” Obama said. “Although I will say that I think we are putting together the best basketball-playing Cabinet in American history.”

There is an outdoor basketball court on the White House South Lawn that is used sometimes. On the campaign trail Obama said if elected he would consider taking out the indoor bowling alley at the White House and putting in a basketball court.

Other hoop players in the Obama inner circle include his choice to be Attorney General, Eric Holder, his national security adviser, James Jones, and his pick for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice.

They don’t seem to have the respect of the tall Duncan, however, who we might as well nickname “Dunkin’ Duncan.”

Who has the better jump shot, Obama or Duncan?

Duncan, said Obama.

“That one’s an easy one,” he said.

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- Photo credit: Reuters/Jeff Haynes (Obama heads towards a pickup game of basketball last month in Chicago.)

In the wake her $150,000 wardrobe flap, Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has complained that male politicians largely escape the scrutiny that she undergoes from the fashion police.

Not so fast. The Grooming Lounge, a Georgetown hair salon that coiffs many of Washington’s most powerful players, has weighed in with beauty tips for the men in the race.

Here’s what they have to say.

Republican John McCain: Slather on some “self tanning product” to exude a healthy glow, and tweeze the eyebrows. “Our research shows that the last five elections have been won by the candidate with more well-trimmed eyebrows,” the Grooming Lounge says.

Democratic candidate Barack Obama: Use a cream to reduce the bags under the eyes, and wear shorts, not sweatpants, while playing basketball. “Sweats and hoops are on separate sides of the aisle,” they write.

Democratic vice-presidential candidate Joe Biden: whiten the teeth and get a haircut. “The presence of excessive fly-aways make him look less put together and too much off-the-cuff,” the salon says.

Todd Palin, “First Dude” of Alaska: Switch to a less-shiny hair gel and shave the goatee to ease concerns about wife Sarah’s maturity. “Such pre-meditated facial hair makes him look a tad collegiate, more youthful than needed and adversely affects Governor Palin’s attempts to seem more experienced,” they write.

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Talk about a workout. Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, a basketball fan who takes to the court to stay in shape, got a run for his money on Tuesday during a scrimmage with the University of North Carolina Tar Heels.

The U.S. presidential candidate, 46 and 6′2″, played ball with students half his age and seemingly twice his height in an early morning match-up that sent him off to the sidelines for a break halfway through the game.

“These guys are a lot better than me,” he breathed to reporters while jogging down the court after one play.

Yes they are. But the lanky candidate, dressed in sweats, managed a few nice passes and a lay-up that looked like it should have made it in.

“Thought I had that one!” he winced after missing the shot.

The famous powerhouse college team did not exactly give the man who would like to be the next U.S. president a break, but Obama did his best to keep up and had a smile on his face throughout.

The bright side? At least he wasn’t bowling…

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Photo credit: Reuters/Frank Polich (Obama plays basketball in Indiana last week)