White House visits by championship teams

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In January 2015, after winning the 2014 NBA Finals, Barack Obama welcomed the San Antonio Spurs to the White House San Antonio Spurs NBA champions with President Obama in the East Room White House January 2015 P011215ps-0517.jpg
In January 2015, after winning the 2014 NBA Finals, Barack Obama welcomed the San Antonio Spurs to the White House

In the United States, the winner of a professional championship game, such as the Super Bowl or World Series, often visits the White House after winning said championship. Usually, the championship team meets with whoever the president of the United States is at the time, and the president gives a speech related to the team.

Contents

History

Although the exact start of the tradition of championship teams visiting the White House is unknown, the earliest known time it happened was on August 30, 1865. [1] On that day, then president Andrew Johnson welcomed two amateur baseball teams to the White House: the Brooklyn Atlantics and Washington Nationals. The Atlantics visited because they had won the championship the previous season, and the Nationals visited because Johnson was a fan of the team. [2]

The first time a professional sports team visited the White House was in 1869 when the Cincinnati Red Stockings visited Ulysses S. Grant at the White House. It was not until 1924 that the first "Big Four" sports team visited the White House, that being the Washington Senators. [3]

In 1963, John F. Kennedy welcomed the Boston Celtics to the White House, that being the first time an NBA team visited the White House. [4]

In more recent years, many sports teams have refused to visit the White House, especially during the first presidency of Donald Trump. [5] In 2018, after the Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl LII and were invited to the White House, president Trump revoked the invite due to a potential boycott from the Eagles players. [6]

List of leagues, events, and organizations whose champions visit the White House

League/organization/eventFirst visitFirst team/group/person to visit
MLB 1924 Washington Senators
Little League World Series 1992Long Beach Little League
NBA 1963 Boston Celtics
WNBA 1999 Houston Comets
NFL 1980 Pittsburgh Steelers
NHL 1983 New York Islanders
MLS 1998 D.C. United
Olympians 1961 Wilma Rudolph
NASCAR 1978500+ guests (including Bill France Sr. and Bill France Jr. [7] )
Tour de France 2001 Lance Armstrong
NCAA FBS Football 1961 Alabama Crimson Tide
NCAA FCS Football 1995 Youngstown State Penguins
NCAA men's basketball 1976 Indiana Hoosiers
NCAA women's basketball 2016 UConn Huskies

References

  1. ↑ "How White House visits became a U.S. tradition". ESPN.com. 2016-03-01. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  2. ↑ Knight, Molly (2023-04-07). "Which Sports Teams Do Get to Visit the White House?". Vulture. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  3. ↑ "When did championship teams start visiting the White House?". Yahoo Sports. 2019-11-05. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  4. ↑ "White House championship visits over the years". Yardbarker. 2024-06-21. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  5. ↑ Gaines, Cork. "Championship teams visiting the White House has turned into a mess — here is how Trump and the teams have wrecked the tradition". Business Insider. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
  6. ↑ "Will the 2025 Super Bowl Champions Visit the White House? All About the Decades-Long Tradition (and Why President Trump Revoked Philadelphia's Last Invitation)". People.com. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
  7. ↑ "NASCAR Visits the White House | Goldmine | UNC Charlotte". goldmine.charlotte.edu. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
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