This isn’t supposed to be about promoting politics – it’s about celebrating a victory, and promoting the team. You win a championship, you visit the White House, no matter who’s in office. Refusing to go makes you look childish and forget the whole “there’s no i in team.” Bite the bullet and just go.
(It was embarassing when Tim Thomas did it, and it’s embarassing when the Patriots do it. It’s not about you.)
Every year there are one or more players who refuse to visit the White House, no matter who is President.
It is their choice.
It’s impossible for a visit to the chief politician in the nation to not be political.
Exactly. Presidents bring sports champions to the White House because it’s good PR. No one should be forced to be part of political PR against their will.
And if they went – and refused to shake the man’s hand, and told him on live national television that he should resign – what then? Or should they just bite the bullet and serve as props, this isn’t the time to mention a position on stuff?
(What was it that Eartha Kitt said, at the White House? About how they were sending the best of this country off to be shot and maimed – adding that Vietnam is the reason we’re having trouble with the youth of America, since it’s a war without explanation or reason? Didn’t plenty of folks criticize her for pointing that out?)
for historical reference -
Kraft was specifically talking about New England Patriot players, and only New England Patriot players. Not a general discussion of all/many/most of the various sports participants to skipped going to the WH.
According to Kraft, “Every time we’ve had the privilege of going to the White House, a dozen of our players don’t go,‘’ Kraft said on TODAY Monday. "This is the first time it’s gotten any media attention.”
According to your “link”, Brady skipped a 2015 WH celebration. That didn’t draw much media attention at that time. Over the years, which other Patriot players have skipped WH celebrations, and how much media attention did they receive at the time they refused?
LaGarrette Blount, Chris Long, Dont’a Hightower, Devin McCourty, Martellus Bennett and Alan Branch’s names have now been added to the long list of athletes who have chosen to skip a meeting with the President. A long list that some sports media guys will rehash the next time an athlete, any athlete from any sport, skips a WH celebration.
The Cubs, after winning the World Series last year, specifically moved the date of the White House visit to before January 20, so they could visit Obama rather than Trump.
I’m fairly certain that the date is set by the White House, not by the team. And you’d certainly expect Obama to invite his home team to the WH while he’s still there.
I’m fairly sure that the date is set via mutual convenience and agreement, with team and the White House both trying to be respectful and accommodating.
For the record though, Obama’s hometown Chicago baseball team was the south side’s Chicago White Sox and not the Cubs. Link
A good friend of mine who is a White Sox fan states that it is more important that the Cubs lose than that the White Sox win. 
They’re not “serving as props” – if anything, it’s the other way around. :rolleyes:
I genuinely can’t tell what you’re trying to convey, here. Can you elaborate?
Your comment, that they’re being used as a “prop” to promote Trump is wrong. This is to promote the TEAM. The team is using a visit to the President to promote themselves – TRUMP is being used to advertise them, not the otherway around. The White House visit is a tradition – they would’ve gone if Hilary had won, so it’s not about Trump.
It’s like having your picture taken with the mayor, or the victory parade. That’s all. I cringed when Tim Thomas refused to go to the White House a few years back, especially as he was the only American on the team, as well as the MVP. Don’t make it about politics, because it’s not.
See, that’s what I don’t get.
Imagine the president is the sort of guy who thinks, I sure want to advertise my VIP status. And so if someone says, Do you want celebrities and champions to visit the White House to shake your hand on live national television and pose for photos with you, he can reply That’d be great; they’d be like living props, given the message I want to send the world about how it’s a big deal to meet with the great man!
Now imagine you’re the sort of person who thinks, I sure disapprove of this president and his policies. And imagine shaking hands with him on live national television, and posing for smiling photo ops with him, and going through the motions of acting like it’s a big honor while thinking This is great; I’m using him as a living prop, given the message I want to send the world about how I disapprove of him and his policies!
And, well, you can’t, is the thing; he can use you to send his message, if you’ll just obligingly go through the motions next to him – but you can’t, by obligingly going through the motions next to him, use him to send yours.
Now, you can send your message by turning down the invitation. Or you can send your message by going to the White House and speaking your mind like Eartha Kitt did. But as far as I can tell, you can’t readily send your message by plastering a grin on your face as he gladhands you and everybody acts like this is the high point of your month; that can be his message, and he can use you to send it, but that’s all.
If you were a black athlete and the White House was being run by a white supremacist, you might be forgiven to think it is a little about politics.
I disagree. Certainly both sides get something from the visit, but it’s much more for the President than the sports team. It’s a reward for the team, it’s a publicity event for the President.
Really? Cite?
You’re denying Steve Bannon is a white supremacist? Would you deny the New England Patriots are football players?
Bannon courted white supremacists while at Breitbart to try to gain a niche following but his personal views haven’t been demonstrated to lie that way.
I know Nancy Pelosi and the far left have tried to paint it that way but that doesn’t make it true.
On the other hand, catering to white supremacists isn’t much better than being one yourself. At a certain point you question if a person’s beliefs or actions matter more. Is it worse to be a racist and keep your opinions to yourself or to not be a racist but provide a platform that allows their views to be heard?
I don’t know whether Bannon is a white supremacist or not. You obviously have that opinion. I thought you wer talking about President Trump, anyway. My opinion on the Patriots is that they are the best team in the land, based on this fapigame.AwayTeam.FullName at fapigame.HomeTeam.FullName fapigame.Season fapigame.SeasonType fapigame.Week - Game Center