William Bretzger-Delaware News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Now that Donald Trump is back in office, the decision of whether or not to go to the White House as a championship-winning team has once again come a contentious one. And according to reports, the Philadelphia Eagles are set to be the first team of Trump’s second term to snub him.
The Philadelphia Eagles became the first American sports franchise to win a championship during Trump’s second term after he got inaugurated on January 20. On February 9, Trump became the first sitting President to cost the US taxpayer millions of dollars by deciding to attend the Super Bowl in-person.
Trump and the rest of the NFL world saw the Eagles beat the brakes off the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, ultimately winning by a score of 40-22.
The Eagles are now the first team faced with the decision of visiting Trump’s White House, and according to reports, their answer is a “massive no.”
“A source at the Eagles, who spoke anonymously, stressed that conversations about refusing a visit with President Donald Trump after beating the Kansas City Chiefs have already occurred,” the U.S. Sun reported.
“A well-placed insider said that recent discussions between the players and the Eagles front office resulted in a ‘massive no’ when asked if they would accept an invitation to the nation’s capital.”
When the Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2018 with Doug Pederson as head coach and Nick Foles as quarterback, they also boycotted the event. Instead, the White House hosted the US Marine Band and Army Chorus for a celebration of America.
Other championship athletes and teams to turn down White House visits when Trump was in office were multiple 2019 Boston Red Sox, the 2017 Golden State Warriors, 2016 UNC Tar Heels, 2019 Virginia Cavaliers. During the first two years of Donald Trump’s first term from 2017 to 2019, 20 major American sports teams won a championship but half of them accepted invitations to visit the White House.