Pope Francis and Joe Biden held a 90-minute meeting last Friday at the Vatican in which they discussed refugees, weather, the pandemic, and even baseball. And it is precisely the latter that is drawing the attention of Internet users. The American president told the pontiff that he was “the famous African-American baseball player in the United States.” Confusion or lack of context?
Well, this is where the controversy is. The short video showing how Biden refers to the Pope as an “African American baseball player” has gone completely viral on social media, which has been filled with comments about the US president’s state of mind. But the truth is that it could be a cut on purpose that is missing the rest of the conversation they had and that would explain that phrase.
As seen in a longer video, the Republican tells Francisco a parable about aging referring to the American baseball player Satchel Paige , an African-American pitcher who played until he was 50 years old. The American tells their story to make a simile with themselves and their ages.
Biden explains to the Pope that Satchel Paige became a legend because of her age and tells him that on her 47th birthday she won a match. That day the press could not believe it and asked him how he felt about doing something like that with his years. He said he did not look his age and returned the question to reporters: “How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?”
Satchel Paige thus expressed that age is only a number and that what is worth is working and continuing to live in the best possible way as long as health is with you. And Biden wanted to convey the same to the Pope by answering that question. « You are 65 and I am 60! », He said, when in reality Biden is 78 years old and the Pope 84.
So … Joe Biden’s head went off and mistook the Pope for a baseball player or is the video taken out of context? The truth is that there are interpretations of all kinds. But everything points to what Biden wanted by assuring that the pontiff is “the famous African-American baseball player in the United States” was to compliment him on his work despite his advanced age.
