Photo: Instagram/LSU Football
(Podcast length 4:45 mins - the transcript is below)
What better way to talk politics but not really? Let’s discuss the antics when athletes head to the White House.
Transcript
1. The tradition of sports teams visiting the White House began in 1865, but it wasn’t until 1924 that President Calvin Coolidge celebrated the World Series Champion Washington Senators (baseball). Although the NBA (National Basketball Association) champs didn’t make their first visit until 1963, NFL (National Football League) in 1980 and NHL (National Hockey League) 1991. The regular tradition of welcoming the championship teams from professional, collegiate and Olympic sports really started with President Ronald Reagan.
2. Since you never show up to a party empty-handed, teams typically bring along their winning trophy and a gift for the president, usually a team jersey, or in Texas A&M’s case, a pair of A&M cowboy boots. When the New York Giants (NFL) visited, they brought their own snacks. The team dumped a cooler full of popcorn on President Reagan to honor the traditional merriment of pouring Gatorade on the head coach to celebrate a victory. A DREAM COME TRUE
3. Plenty of teams, especially collegiate teams, fly in and out on the same day, but others stay in hopes of leaving a lasting impression. When the Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL) visited the White House, the team and the president packed over 3,000 care packages for troops serving overseas. During their time in D.C., the San Antonio Spurs (NBA) visited wounded veterans and the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team put on a youth soccer clinic. DOING THE MOST GOOD
4. It’s not always warm and fuzzy as some players boycott the visit and use it as an opportunity to speak out against the president’s policies or the government. It used to be rare to decline the invitation, but we’ve seen a lot of that in President Trump’s presidency with partial rosters attending or entire teams declining to attend the visit. While there are still plenty of championship teams that visited the White House during his tenure, President Trump never extended an invitation to the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) champions. RAIN CHECK
5. No matter who the sitting president is, the overwhelming majority of athletes who visit the White House talk about the surreal and unbelievable experience. While most presidents avoid restricted areas of the White House, President Trump was known for throwing the Secret Service for a loop and bringing his athletic visitors into the Oval Office and other rooms usually not open to the public. A CASUAL HOME TOUR
Sports Curious, presented by Last Night's Game, is here to take the awkward out of the conversation and help you join the sports conversation, even if you don't know the first thing about sports. We breakdown what's happening in sports in an easy-to-understand, fun way without all of the statistics and jargon, so you never have to exit stage left when the chatter at the office, dinner table, or a networking event switches to sports.
You can always catch us between podcasts at www.lastnightsgame.com or on social media. If you love us, make sure to leave us a review wherever you listen to your podcasts.
