One has to wonder if, with the ascension of Donald Trump to the Presidency, this nearly 93 year tradition will be coming to an end. The timing on the Cubs visit, five days before President Obama leaves office, is no accident. In the past, teams that won the World Series have visited the White House during the regular season. To avoid the politically dicey situation involved with a President Trump, the Cubs instead opted to have the trip early.
The winning sports teams that follow won't be able to sidestep the Trump issue simply by moving dates on a calendar. Imagine the 2017 Super Bowl and NBA Champions, teams filled with African-Americans, wrestling with the decision of whether to be honored by a President Trump, especially after his recent insult of a civil rights icon. Or a major league baseball team, stocked with Latino players, considering the same issue. Or switching gears, how about a women's team, such as the Connecticut women's basketball team, perennial champions? Do they put aside Trump's comments about women to be honored by him? Many, understandably, won't want to do that.
My guess is most teams will simply forego the trip than risk the inevitable protests and conflict.
3 comments:
You might be missing the point here. Obama is from Chicago. I mean, he wasn't born and raised there, but you catch my drift. So, if they were going to do it, now's the time....before he leaves office and spring training starts in a couple of weeks.
Locally & by embracing tax increases, fuel & otherwise- is tonight's speech going to be the "State of Statism?" Tax increases are expansion of government; of failure, of statism. It's time to defund the establishment in Indiana.
Is the era of unnecessary foreign wars coming to an end?
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