The Los Angeles Dodgers will celebrate their 2024 World Series championship with President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, kicking off a string of sports celebrations in Washington this month.
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team will follow the Dodgers on April 14 after defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the national championship. The Philadelphia Eagles go to the White House on April 28.
The planned visits appear to signal a calming of tensions between athletes and the president. Trump famously rescinded the Eagles’ White House invitation in 2018 after a contentious back-and-forth between him and NFL players over kneeling for the national anthem as an acceptable form of protest against racial injustice. As rumors swirled around whether the Eagles would go this year, the team confirmed in February they would accept an invitation.
The relationship between athletes and Trump has warmed, which became apparent during the presidential campaign last year. Players from MLB and the NFL along with UFC fighters emulated Trump’s dance moves on the field. 49ers star Nick Bosa even flashed a “Make America Great Again” hat after a game. The president has also been routinely seen at college football games, welcoming golfers into the White House and playing rounds with NFL players and golfers.
Dodgers star Mookie Betts notably changed his tune on whether he would visit the White House.
He was on the Boston Red Sox’s 2018 World Series championship team that beat the Dodgers. He decided to boycott the visit then, but last week he lamented not going.
“This is not about me. I don’t want anything to be about me. This is about the Dodgers, because these boys were there for me,” he said, via the Los Angeles Times.
“No matter what I say or what I do, people are going to take it as political. But that’s definitely not what it is. This is about what the Dodgers were able to accomplish last year.”
In 2019, Roberts suggested to the Los Angeles Times he would skip a White House visit after Trump criticized Roberts during the 2018 World Series for making a pitching change.
But his tune changed as well, now saying it is a “great honor” to be able to go to the White House.
“It wasn’t a formal conversation that we had as a ball club,” he said, via ESPN. “It’s certainly a huge honor to get the invitation to the White House. It allows us to celebrate our 2024 championship. To my understanding, every World Series champion gets that honor, so it’s a great honor for all of us.”
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Trump made sure to invite the Eagles as well, despite previous animosity.
“We just felt this is a time-honored tradition being invited by the White House,” team owner Jeffrey Lurie said Wednesday, via Pro Football Talk.
“So, there was no reticence whatsoever. To be celebrated at the White House is a good thing. There were special circumstances (in 2018) that were very different, and so this was kind of an obvious choice and look forward to it.
“When you grow up, and you hear about, ‘Oh, the championship team got to go to the White House,’ that’s what this is. And, so, we didn’t have that opportunity and now we do. I think we’re all looking forward to it.”
The Florida Panthers were the first team to visit Trump, celebrating their Stanley Cup title. Matthew Tkachuk spoke glowingly about the ability to go to the White House.
“Thank you, Mr. President, for having us today. We greatly appreciate it. Being one of the few Americans who loves this country so much, it’s such an incredible day for myself. You wake up every day really grateful to be an American. So, thank you,” he said.
Tkachuk then told the president about how special the group of men behind him were. Florida appeared in the Stanley Cup Final for the second consecutive time last season and were able to finally get over the hump and win the trophy for the first time in franchise history.
“This team and this group of guys is special,” he added. “Everybody sees what we do on the ice, but I’ve built bonds with these guys that I’ll have for the rest of my life. I’m forever grateful for these guys. We’re forever champs, and I’ll always remember these guys.”
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