The topic of Barack Obama’s role in today’s political landscape has been swirling like a Texas tornado lately, and folks over at certain conservative circles are having a field day with it. Some are suggesting that if Obama wants to regain his relevance in the Democratic Party—he might want to take a stance on an increasingly contentious issue: whether men who identify as women should compete in women’s sports. Now, this isn’t such a far-fetched idea when you peel back the layers and consider Obama’s past resume, which includes coaching his daughters’ basketball teams while in the Oval Office. It’s a head-scratcher that with all that sports experience, he’s been as silent as a mime on this topic.

Back in the days when Obama was running for president, he portrayed an entirely different posture. It appears that the 2008 and 2012 Obama might have had a different opinion on this sports conundrum. But that was then, and this is now, and in the spirit of hoping for a time travel machine to bring back those earlier political days, the question is: What’s holding Obama back? Maybe it’s not political fatigue but domestic diplomacy. After all, rumor has it, he’s a wee bit wary of what his wife, Michelle, might say about his ventures into such debates. Word on the street is that many men might sympathize with his predicament.

While the silent drama with Michelle plays out, there’s a rumble of dissatisfaction with how Obama addresses truths—particularly within his own party. When one dances around what’s evident, it isn’t exactly promoting openness or transparency. Instead, it tiptoes into the murky world of misinformation. This practice doesn’t help Democrats one bit if they are aiming to regain any lost sanity as some suggest might be needed.

Moreover, there’s an entirely different angle to Obama’s current unrest—that being his legacy, or what’s left of it. He once sashayed into the political spotlight thinking he’d be the dominant politician of the century. Alas, history had other plans. Enter Donald Trump, who decided to make a grand entrance down an escalator in 2015, and suddenly Obama’s spotlight isn’t as bright as it once was. Trump’s influence has been so formidable that it’s allegedly unsettling for Obama to reconcile with not being the main political character of the century’s first quarter. Imagine that!

So, while Obama might be reminiscing about the good old days of his presidency, and simultaneously juggling the who’s-who chart of today’s political figures, it might do him some good to come out of his cocoon and speak the truth on hot-button issues. That is, if he can gather the courage. Otherwise, it might be a long wait for his stance on anything substantial to resurface. Perhaps the issue of sports isn’t just about the tracks and fields, but more about the political playing fields he once dominated. One must wonder if the great political comeback many Democrats hope for lies in rekindling Obama’s fiercer side that’s currently hiding away—or perhaps just overshadowed.