# Presidents and sports **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 7, 2019, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-sports/843104 "2019-11-07T02:51:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yankees_1996_Champs)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-sports/843104/1 "2019-11-07T02:51:05Z")
Donald Trump probably became the first president to wade into cultural tensions with sports, particularly the National Basketball Association (NBA), arguably the world’s largest sport next to international soccer. The black-majority NBA and Trump has a strained relationship. They represent in the eyes of white America, the 88% of black voters that supported Democrat Hillary Clinton over Trump in 2016. NHL, MLB, NFL champions attend the White House under Trump; NBA does not. Why is that? Kurt Suzuki and Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals showed that they are rich-Trump supporting Americans this week when Trump quickly invited the 2019 World Series champs to the White House this week. [https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/11/04/nationals\_first\_baseman\_zimmerman\_thanks\_trump\_for\_keeping\_america\_greatest\_country\_to\_live\_in.html](https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/11/04/nationals_first_baseman_zimmerman_thanks_trump_for_keeping_america_greatest_country_to_live_in.html) > **[The image of Nats players cozying up to Trump was jarring for many fans](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/nov/05/washington-nationals-white-house-trump-kurt-suzuki-ryan-zimmerman)** > > Players have every right to visit the White House after a title victory. But the rush to do so angered many fans in a city where the President is reviled ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-sports/843104/2 "2019-11-07T03:36:40Z")
Not all of the players from MLB, NHL and NFL were present during Tumpy Wumpy’s reign. Even pukehead Roger Clemens refused to visit Obama. And Sean Doolittle is a white pitcher who refuses to visit for the Nats this year. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-sports/843104/3 "2019-11-07T10:54:44Z")
Yeah, why in the world would black people have a problem with Trump? Truly, one of life’s most puzzling mysteries. It isn’t as though he’s ever done or said anything that could possibly have rubbed them the wrong way. In the eyes of this white American, it represents a baffling conundrum that not even Democrat Hillary Clinton and her cabal of ivory tower elitist eggheads could solve. I don’t know if my mind is boggling as hard as the OP’s, but it’s definitely boggling. I’m so glad someone finally asked this question. Fellow Dopers, commence the Great Debate! ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-sports/843104/4 "2019-11-07T11:39:37Z")
> [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](#): > > … > The black-majority NBA and Trump has a strained relationship. > > They represent in the eyes of white America, the 88% of black voters that supported Democrat Hillary Clinton over Trump in 2016. > … You should come for a visit. Find out what it’s like here. This above thing that I quoted here… WTF? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-sports/843104/5 "2019-11-07T12:40:07Z")
> [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](#): > > The black-majority NBA and Trump has a strained relationship. I believe you are mistaken. I read recently that Trump has a black friend. так что! ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-sports/843104/6 "2019-11-07T12:50:24Z")
People are making a big deal about Trump getting booed by Nats fans, but they forget that we also booed George W Bush when he through out the first pitch at a Nats game. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-sports/843104/7 "2019-11-07T17:46:41Z")
I’ve been following baseball for a long time, it’s never been a secret that many of them that are political lean conservative. Just look at all the military and patriotic stuff that surrounds baseball, of course Memorial Day and Independence Day do fall during baseball season. Now college football in Alabama isn’t going to allow student protests when Trump visits. I have no idea about the politics of the Alabama campus, but I assume it’s full of Trumpers given its location. > **[With President Trump set to attend, Alabama student group warns organizations...](https://collegefootball.nbcsports.com/2019/11/06/with-president-trump-set-to-attend-alabama-student-group-warns-organizations-about-disruptive-behavior-during-lsu-game/)** > > Consider yourselves warned, college-aged individuals. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-sports/843104/8 "2019-11-07T18:06:26Z")
Packers tight end Mark Chmura did not visit the White House after his team’s Super Bowl win in the 90s. There was a lot of talk during that time that Chmura felt it was inappropriate to visit Clinton there during the sex scandal there but Wikipedia says that he went to a charity golf outing on that weekend because he wanted to support that. Of course, Chmura then went hot tubbing with some high school girls, so I’d like to think he wasn’t being hypocritical about the White House visit. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-sports/843104/9 "2019-11-07T19:25:43Z")
I also wonder what the background check is like for that kind of event since they’ll be close to the President. I could see some guys not wanting to disclose something from their youth especially if they’ve got a squeaky clean image now. Why drag up a DUI at 18 or being caught with a baggie of weed in the college dorm? ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-sports/843104/10 "2019-11-07T19:33:07Z")
> [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](#): > > NHL, MLB, NFL champions attend the White House under Trump; NBA does not. Actually, the only Super Bowl champions to visit the White House under Trump were the Patriots in 2017. In 2018 the White House cancelled the invitation to the Eagles when it turned most of the players weren’t going to attend. This year the Patriots didn’t visit either, ostensibly due to scheduling issues, but it’s likely they cancelled to avoid the embarrassment of a lot of Patriots players boycotting the visit as well. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-sports/843104/11 "2019-11-07T22:13:21Z")
I have no actual idea what kind of background checks might be involved, but I’d bet they’d be pretty minimal, considering that the players will presumably have gone through metal detectors and there will be Secret Service agents present. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2019, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-sports/843104/12 "2019-11-08T00:13:43Z")
A professional athlete wouldn’t need any metal to be a threat to an octogenarian, if he chose to be so. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2019, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-sports/843104/13 "2019-11-08T01:52:00Z")
> [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](#): > > Donald Trump probably became the first president to wade into cultural tensions with sports Sorry, not even close. [How Nixon Turned Football into a Political Weapon](https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/10/14/richard-nixon-politics-football-presidents-215708) The difference is that Nixon actually\* liked\* football. ---
**Author:** ![Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yankees_1996_Champs)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2019, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-sports/843104/14 "2019-11-08T21:06:24Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > Packers tight end Mark Chmura did not visit the White House after his team’s Super Bowl win in the 90s. There was a lot of talk during that time that Chmura felt it was inappropriate to visit Clinton there during the sex scandal there but Wikipedia says that he went to a charity golf outing on that weekend because he wanted to support that. Of course, Chmura then went hot tubbing with some high school girls, so I’d like to think he wasn’t being hypocritical about the White House visit. Yes, there are a lot of conservative athletes in America, and whenever there are Democratic presidents, they do not attend. Former Boston Bruins player Tim Thomas did not attend the White House to celebrate the 2011 Stanley Cup champs, because he disagreed with Obama’s politics. The 2000 Yankees championship club liked George W. Bush than they did Bill Clinton, they liked Bush’s quicker speeches. > **[PRESIDENT PUTS YANKS AT EASE](https://www.courant.com/2001/05/05/president-puts-yanks-at-ease/)** > > President Bush took the Yankees to one of the few places they hadn’t been — inside the Oval Office. As the president explained the history of various elements in the room, the owner of … > **[Thomas picked wrong time to make statement](https://www.espn.com/boston/nhl/story/_/id/7495441/tim-thomas-picked-wrong-time-make-statement)** > > Tim Thomas put himself above the team in skipping out on the White House. > **[Tim Thomas the latest athlete to snub Obama](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tim-thomas-the-latest-athlete-to-snub-obama/)** > > Ex-Chicago Bears star and 5 NASCAR drivers also declined White House visits; Vote: Is it ok to decline presidential invite? ---
**Author:** ![Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yankees_1996_Champs)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2019, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-sports/843104/15 "2019-11-08T21:20:20Z")
> [@Locrian](#): > > Not all of the players from MLB, NHL and NFL were present during Tumpy Wumpy’s reign.\*\* Even pukehead Roger Clemens refused to visit Obama. \*\*And Sean Doolittle is a white pitcher who refuses to visit for the Nats this year. Clemens won championships in the 1990s and 2000s. I am sure he probably skipped one of the Clinton visits; I heard somewhere that Clemens and fellow Yankee and friend Andy Pettitte did not like Clinton’s sexual infidelities. Even former Yankees legend Joe DiMaggio, was conservative. DiMaggio despised baby boomer-draft dodger Bill Clinton before he passed away in 1999 at the age of 84. > **[The unknown side of Joe DiMaggio](https://dutchbaseballhangout.blog/2015/09/26/the-unknown-side-of-joe-dimaggio/)** > > Joe DiMaggio or the Yankee Clipper or Joltin’ Joe, may be the most worshipped baseball player of all times after Babe Ruth. Known for his 56 game hitting streak in 1941, the year that Ted Williams … ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2019, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-sports/843104/16 "2019-11-08T21:23:59Z")
Bone Spurs Bill, as he was known. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2019, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-sports/843104/17 "2019-11-08T21:33:39Z")
> [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](#): > > I am sure he probably skipped one of the Clinton visits; I heard somewhere that Clemens and fellow Yankee and friend Andy Pettitte did not like Clinton’s sexual infidelities. :smack: That’s rich coming from Roger Clemens, a guy who carried on a decade-long affair with a female country singer half his age who later committed suicide. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2019, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-sports/843104/18 "2019-11-08T21:34:54Z")
> [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](#): > > Yes, there are a lot of conservative athletes in America, and whenever there are Democratic presidents, they do not attend. > > Former Boston Bruins player Tim Thomas did not attend the White House to celebrate the 2011 Stanley Cup champs, because he disagreed with Obama’s politics. > > The 2000 Yankees championship club liked George W. Bush than they did Bill Clinton, they liked Bush’s quicker speeches. > > [PRESIDENT PUTS YANKS AT EASE – Hartford Courant](https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-2001-05-05-0105050645-story.html) > > [Tim Thomas picked wrong time to make statement - ESPN](https://www.espn.com/boston/nhl/story/_/id/7495441/tim-thomas-picked-wrong-time-make-statement) > > [Tim Thomas the latest athlete to snub Obama - CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tim-thomas-the-latest-athlete-to-snub-obama/) Tim Thomas went batshit crazy and took a year off from playing hockey to supposedly focus on faith and family. I’m sure it has nothing to do with Tukka Rask. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2019, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-sports/843104/19 "2019-11-08T22:26:49Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Bone Spurs Bill, as he was known. Cute line, except that Bill never claimed bone spurs. You must be thinking of Bone Spurs Donald. The other guy was I Never Inhaled Bill. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2019, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-sports/843104/20 "2019-11-08T22:51:43Z")
_off mike_ Yeah, but see, someone just critcized Clinton because he… Oh, nevermind. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-and-sports/843104.md?page=2)