Now That They're Champions, Will the Oklahoma City Thunder Kiss Trump's Ring?
With even higher stakes for the country, championship teams invited to the White House are faced with a question: Will they continue to dissent or get in line?
For more than 60 years at the professional level, the highest collegiate levels, or the Olympics, winning titles or medals has come with a top honor: acknowledgment from the president. The ritual of the post-victory White House visit has existed in one form or another since the end of the Civil War. Calvin Coolidge honored the Washington Senators' 1924 World Series win. In 1963, John F. Kennedy, the Boston-Irish president, enthusiastically hosted the World Champion Boston Celtics.
What was once an uncomplicated perk — win the title, hoist the trophy, meet the president — is no longer so simple. The first Trump presidency exposed the fractures of a broken country when several players and teams rejected the invitation, using the opportunity to express their feelings for Mr. Trump — and he responded by aiming his ire on them.
Now, in his second term, in a climate of increased volatility and the president going on the offensive against his perceived enemies, the celebratory White House photo op has devolved into another weapon in a weaponized world.
Eight years ago, in 2017, Mr. Trump publicly attacked N.F.L. players who took a knee during the national anthem to protest police violence, insulting them verbally and demanding that team owners kick the dissenting players out of the league. Months later, several members of the Super Bowl-winning Eagles responded to Mr. Trump by rejecting his White House invitation.
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