Via Politico:

President Barack Obama’s love of the Chicago White Sox is no secret, but he’d probably be an even bigger fan if his hometown baseball team goes to bat for Obamacare.

It’s not just the Obama administration looking to join forces with professional sports leagues to enroll people in health insurance. Some states are also looking to get a lift from local teams this fall, when millions can start signing up for coverage.

That includes Obama’s home state of Illinois, which is building its health insurance exchange with help from the Department of Health and Human Services. Gov. Pat Quinn’s office has expressed interest in teaming up with local sports franchises to spread the Obamacare word, and the state’s bringing on a marketing firm in the next couple of weeks to map out a comprehensive outreach strategy.

“The Illinois Health Insurance Marketplace is planning a robust outreach campaign leading up to the Oct. 1 start of open enrollment for the [Affordable Care Act],” Quinn spokesman Mike Claffey said. “This will include partnerships with many trusted community groups — and as part of this statewide effort, we definitely plan to reach out to the many popular home teams in Illinois and look for ways to magnify our message.”

It’s a similar story in Washington, where exchange officials say they haven’t asked the local teams to come on board yet, but it’s on their to-do list.

“D.C. is a very sports-oriented town with the Redskins, Nationals, Wizards, Mystics, United, Freedom [and] Capitals, so we would want to work with some or all to reach key audiences,” emailed Richard Sorian, director of communications for the D.C. Health Benefit Exchange Authority.