# Stanley cup winner snubs President for political reasons **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 24, 2012, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stanley-cup-winner-snubs-president-for-political-reasons/610460 "2012-01-24T02:14:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Paralogic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Paralogic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paralogic)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stanley-cup-winner-snubs-president-for-political-reasons/610460/21 "2012-01-24T05:01:40Z")
> [@Trom](#): > > You’re still wrong. 🙂 I’m never wrong. Not even when I’m sarcastic. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stanley-cup-winner-snubs-president-for-political-reasons/610460/22 "2012-01-24T05:02:45Z")
An NHL Standard Player Contract will have terms setting out that the player will participate in promotion of his club and cooperate in the promotion of the League and professional hockey, and will conduct himself with the highest standards and refrain from conduct detrimental to his club, the League, or profesisonal hockey. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stanley-cup-winner-snubs-president-for-political-reasons/610460/23 "2012-01-24T05:31:09Z")
Thomas was free not to go - it is a free country - but frankly, it’s a dick move. He was invited to the White House as a member of the Stanley Cup Champions, not to provide his personal opinion on the state of things in Washington. In my honest opinion he had a responsibility as a professional to suck it up and go with his team. I think he’s a dick for not doing it, and I’d have said the same of a player who did the same under the Bush administration. Again, it’s a free country and you are free to do things that are dickish, dishonorable, and insulting, and I think it was all three. ---
**Author:** ![Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omg_a_Black_Conservative)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stanley-cup-winner-snubs-president-for-political-reasons/610460/24 "2012-01-24T05:35:12Z")
He can do whatever he wants. A few years back when the Steelers won the Super Bowl, a few of the players refused to go to the White House (iirc) because they didn’t like Bush. No big deal. People are under no obligation to meet the President. ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stanley-cup-winner-snubs-president-for-political-reasons/610460/25 "2012-01-24T06:03:48Z")
So much for his team spirit and sportsmanship. So I guess he was compelled to let his team mates at one of the greatest occasion in their lives feel like crawling into a hole. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stanley-cup-winner-snubs-president-for-political-reasons/610460/26 "2012-01-24T06:07:56Z")
No different from all the Hollyweird types who claimed they would move to Canada, if Bush was re-elected. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stanley-cup-winner-snubs-president-for-political-reasons/610460/27 "2012-01-24T06:07:58Z")
On the one hand, yes, sports teams visiting the White House is about as apolitical as it gets (like Obama gives a crap about hockey), so from that standpoint it’s a dickish way to take a stand. But it’s also true that you have to answer to your own conscience and I can see it being very difficult to go shake hands with a president I was strongly opposed to. He’s not hurting anybody. By the way, James Harrison of the Steelers refused to visit the White House after the team’s Super Bowl wins in 2006 and 2009. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stanley-cup-winner-snubs-president-for-political-reasons/610460/28 "2012-01-24T06:17:06Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > He’s an athlete and so has no real obligation to be politically neutral whatsoever, anymore than the billionaire business owners that own the team he works for–if those guys can donate money to political campaigns and be politically active I don’t see why the players can’t. > > This isn’t a politician, who you would expect to respect decorum and ceremony, but a private citizen making a political statement against the man who holds the Presidency. > > There is absolutely nothing un-American about disrespecting the President. In fact, I wish we were more like the British in their relationship with their Prime Minister in regards to our President, instead we’re closer to how the British treat their Queen in regards to how much respect/personal obsequiousness is expected of citizens towards the man who holds the Oval Office. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with disrespecting the president but as a member of the NHL championship team, was it appropriate? > [@Guinastasia](#): > > Personally? I think Thomas had ever right to do so, however I think he should have gone for the sake of his teammates. I don’t think a visit like this is a time to make a political statement. > > HOWEVER, if he feels that strongly, I do give him props him for being [diplomatic](http://espn.go.com/boston/nhl/story/_/id/7493826/barack-obama-honors-stanley-cup-champion-boston-bruins-tim-thomas-no-show) about it: > > Notice he said nothing about liberals, conservatives, Obama, anything like that. I disagree with his choice, because I really think he let his fellow Bruins down, but I don’t think what he did was a major insult. > > Unless, of course, you have proof that Thomas is a racist? Like I said, I’m not saying there is anything wrong with disrespecting the president but as a member of the NHL championship team, was it appropriate? And no I have no reason to believe he is racist but I don’t remember him being quite as fired up about Bush. I suspect its a partisan thing rather than a racist thing. > [@Kobal2](#): > > The only way I think it’s inappropriate is that he left the rest of his team in a very awkward place during the reception. Which is a really shitty thing to do. Were I his coach, I’d have booted that prima dona from the team over that stunt. > > Other than that, I don’t see anything wrong with giving your own President the finger. Again, I’m not saying there is anything wrong with disrespecting the president in general but as a member of the NHL championship team, was it appropriate? > [@Magiver](#): > > The same Tea Party group you think is racist was promoting Cain (who you obviously see as black) because he’s viewed as a successful CEO in a political climate of 4 years of high unemployment. Yah, Noone said that all or even most of the tea party was racist but a lot of racists were in the tea party. > [@brittekland](#): > > So much for his team spirit and sportsmanship. > > So I guess he was compelled to let his team mates at one of the greatest occasion in their lives feel like crawling into a hole. Well I think it was a dick move. I don’t remember any member of a championship athletic team declining to go to the white house under Bush. Its a non-partisan moment. Going to the white house after winning the stanley cup is not a political statement and only an idiot would think it was but NOT going is turning a non-political event and turning it into a political statement. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stanley-cup-winner-snubs-president-for-political-reasons/610460/29 "2012-01-24T06:21:06Z")
I don’t care if someone doesn’t want to meet the President because of his policies or because he’d rather stay home and sleep in. His employer might have something to say about it, but it’s still not my business. ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stanley-cup-winner-snubs-president-for-political-reasons/610460/30 "2012-01-24T07:06:45Z")
A party pooper: putting a dampener on the celebration for the achievement of his team and teammates as a whole for some issue aside from the very occasion of the celebration is at least a party pooper in my book. If you have a beef, get on the ring; there are places for fight and there are occasions to celebrate. Also just because there was a single act of precedence that doesn’t make any less-than-considerate action an acceptable behavior. I don’t think some Hollywood folks, having said at some unrelated point that they’d “move to Canada if Bush was re-elected,” specifically made any of their colleagues at a specific function with Bush felt like crawling into a hole. Maybe it’s just me but these are not exactly compatible issues. . ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stanley-cup-winner-snubs-president-for-political-reasons/610460/31 "2012-01-24T07:58:13Z")
> [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > He can do whatever he wants. A few years back when the Steelers won the Super Bowl, a few of the players refused to go to the White House (iirc) because they didn’t like Bush. No big deal. People are under no obligation to meet the President. Cite? As a Steelers fan, the ONLY player I know of who neglected to go was James Harrison. [His reason](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Harrison_%28American_football%29#Personal)? > [@](#): > > Harrison elected not to visit the White House with the rest of the team after the Steelers won Super Bowl XLIII. Skipping the visit gained some media attention, as Harrison said that Barack Obama (who supported the Steelers in the game and considers his second favorite NFL team after his hometown team, Chicago Bears) would have invited the Arizona Cardinals had they won: “This is how I feel — if you want to see the Pittsburgh Steelers, invite us when we don’t win the Super Bowl. As far as I’m concerned, he [Obama] would’ve invited Arizona if they had won.” Harrison also skipped the team’s visit after winning Super Bowl XL when George W. Bush was president. Because of course, the president has nothing to do but invite every team in the NFL to the White House. But then, no one ever accused Harrison of being all that bright. (And like I said, this is coming from a Steelers fan!) I disagree with Thomas’s decision, like I said – I think he really let down his teammates. But, I support his right to do so. Although I’m guessing that Vice-President Biden was a no-show the last two years, considering he’s a Flyers fan. (The Flyers lost the Cup in 2010, and the Penguins, the Flyers’ biggest rivals, won in 2009) ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stanley-cup-winner-snubs-president-for-political-reasons/610460/32 "2012-01-24T08:54:25Z")
> [@](#): > > "I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People. > > This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government. > > Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL. > > This is the only public statement I will be making on this topic. TT" Why is it that political cranks can never tell the difference between a proper noun and a common noun? ---
**Author:** ![BeaMyra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@BeaMyra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeaMyra)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stanley-cup-winner-snubs-president-for-political-reasons/610460/33 "2012-01-24T09:04:44Z")
I don’t see anything wrong with it. If one of my staff had a political or religious objection to going somewhere or dealing with something, I would honor it. I dislike Obama, because I feel he was dishonest when he campaigned, by making promises he knew darn well he couldn’t keep. Sure others do that, but they weren’t conning other people at the same time as the voice of change. I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way to meet Obama, I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to meet GW Bush either. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stanley-cup-winner-snubs-president-for-political-reasons/610460/34 "2012-01-24T12:03:39Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Cite? As a Steelers fan, the ONLY player I know of who neglected to go was James Harrison. [His reason](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Harrison_%28American_football%29#Personal)? > > Because of course, the president has nothing to do but invite every team in the NFL to the White House. But then, no one ever accused Harrison of being all that bright. (And like I said, this is coming from a Steelers fan!) Wait, whut ? I’m not sure I’m parsing that statement right. Is he saying that if Bush had invited them because he was a big fan, he would have gone ; but because he invited them out of decorum and the charge of his office, it’s like so whatever ? What’s this guy’s position on the field, and does it require one to take many blows to the head ? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stanley-cup-winner-snubs-president-for-political-reasons/610460/35 "2012-01-24T12:24:49Z")
It is a dickish move because the news stories are about how Thomas didn’t go and then had to announce to the world his reason for not going. That completely takes the focus away from the photo op of the team meeting the President. Plus, the Bruins have two outstanding goalies right now. I wouldn’t want to give Bruins coach Claude Julien any possible reason to consider starting Tuuka Rask more often. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stanley-cup-winner-snubs-president-for-political-reasons/610460/36 "2012-01-24T12:45:40Z")
I seriously don’t see why we’re even having this conversation. It’s not a big deal. I’m mostly just disappointed that meeting with sports teams is something the president wastes time on. Folks who have somehow bettered humanity? Sure. Hockey doesn’t make the list. > [@Jman](#): > > Your president, whether you like him or not, asks you to come meet with him, you go. At least, if you have any respect for your country. I find views like this deeply unsettling. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stanley-cup-winner-snubs-president-for-political-reasons/610460/37 "2012-01-24T12:57:13Z")
In countries with separate heads of state and government, does this sort of stuff fall on the (usually more symbolic) head of state? ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stanley-cup-winner-snubs-president-for-political-reasons/610460/38 "2012-01-24T13:32:44Z")
> [@Trom](#): > > Where are you guys getting the impression that he is dissing Obama personally? Did you not read the quote where he explicitly says: > ? It’s the sort of bullshit that the tea party uses. They claim to be non-partisan and all that but really they only hate democrats. Ten years of Bush running up the deficit, not a peep. A few months of Obama being unable to reverse that 10 years of damage and suddenly it’s THE GOVERNMENT IS OUT OF CONTROL!!!111111 The guy would’ve gone with Bush in there most likely. > [@Kobal2](#): > > What’s this guy’s position on the field, and does it require one to take many blows to the head ? Actually, he has a reputation as being the dirtiest player in the NFL, inflicting a lot of concussions deliberately. Maybe he’s bitter that everyone else is smarter than him and is trying to lower everyone else’s IQ to his level one concussion at a time. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stanley-cup-winner-snubs-president-for-political-reasons/610460/39 "2012-01-24T13:47:32Z")
> [@Jman](#): > > I mean, he’s free to do what he wants to do in this situation, obviously, but I would have a lot more respect for Tim Thomas if he had said “I disagree with what our government is doing right now, and I want it known that when I go to the White House, I’m going to let President Obama know exactly what I think of his policies and the horrible way congress is operating as well.” So it would have been classier if Thomas had pulled an [Eartha Kitt](http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=6531879&page=1) and let Obama have a piece of his mind in front of all his teammates? _"Kitt, according to some accounts, caused (Lady Bird Johnson to cry at the White House luncheon in 1968) when she said, “You send the best of the country off to be shot and maimed. No wonder the kids rebel and take pot.”_ It might’ve been fun if the goalie and the Prez had a mini-debate on overreaching federal powers in front of the slack-jawed Bruins team and various White House functionaries. I’m sure Obama could have held his own. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stanley-cup-winner-snubs-president-for-political-reasons/610460/40 "2012-01-24T13:55:36Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Cite? As a Steelers fan, the ONLY player I know of who neglected to go was James Harrison. [His reason](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Harrison_%28American_football%29#Personal)? > > Because of course, the president has nothing to do but invite every team in the NFL to the White House. But then, no one ever accused Harrison of being all that bright. (And like I said, this is coming from a Steelers fan!) It looks as though a number of Steelers who were no longer with the team at the time didn’t make the trip. Which is fairly understandable, IMO (also, they didn’t make a big public thing about it). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stanley-cup-winner-snubs-president-for-political-reasons/610460.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stanley-cup-winner-snubs-president-for-political-reasons/610460.md?page=3)