The Los Angeles Dodgers will celebrate their World Series 2024 championship with President Donald Trump in the White House on Monday, launching a series of sports celebrations in Washington this month.
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team will follow the Dodgers on April 14 after beating Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the national championship. The Philadelphia Eagles go to the White House on April 28.
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Los Angeles Dodgers, the Cop-Court Mookie Betts, launched the first goal for an outing against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 5, 2025. (AP photo / Laurence Kesterson)
The planned visits seem to report an overview of the tensions between the athletes and the president. Trump canceled the invitation from the White House of the Eagles in 2018 after a controversial back and forth between him and the NFL players on his knees for the national anthem as an acceptable form of protest against racial injustice. While rumors revolved around if the Eagles would go this year, the team confirmed in February that they would accept an invitation.
The relationship between athletes and Trump healed, which became apparent during the presidential campaign last year. MLB and NFL players with UFC fighters emulated Trump’s dance movements on the field. The star of the 49ers Nick Bosa even flashed a hat “Make America Great Again” after a match. The president was also regularly seen in university football matches, welcoming golfers in the White House and playing rounds with NFL players and golfers.
The star of Dodgers, Mookie Betts, has notably changed his air on the visit of the White House.
He was part of the 2018 World Series Championship team from the Boston Red Sox who beat the Dodgers. He decided to boycott the visit at the time, but last week, he deplored not to go.
“It’s not about me. I don’t want to be about me. These are dodgers, because these boys were there for me,” he said, via the Los Angeles Times.
“No matter what I say or what I do, people will consider it political. But that’s not what it is. This is what the Dodgers were able to accomplish last year.”
In 2019, Roberts suggested to the Los Angeles Times that he would skip a visit to the White House after Trump criticized Roberts during the 2018 World Series for having changed pitch.
But his air has also changed, now saying that it is a “great honor” to be able to go to the White House.
“It was not a formal conversation that we had as a ball club,” he said via ESPN. “It is certainly an immense honor to obtain the invitation to the White House. This allows us to celebrate our 2024 championship. To my understanding, each champion of the World Series obtains this honor, so it is a great honor for all of us.”
President Donald Trump has gestures while inviting the receiver of Washington nationals, Kurt Suzuki, on the podium during a ceremony in honor of the 2019 World Series National Championships at the White House on November 4, 2019. (Geoff Burke-USA today Sports)
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Trump also made sure to invite the Eagles, despite the previous animosity.
“We just thought it is a secular tradition invited by the White House,” said the owner of the Jeffrey Lurie team on Wednesday via Pro Football Talk.
“So there was no reluctance. Being celebrated at the White House is a good thing. There were special circumstances (in 2018) which were very different, and therefore it was an obvious choice and impatiently awaits.
“When you grow up, and you hear about it:” Oh, the championship team was able to go to the White House “, that’s what it is. And, therefore, we have not had this opportunity and now we do it. I think we are all looking forward to.”
The Florida Panthers were the first team to visit Trump, celebrating their Stanley Cup title. Matthew Tkachuk spoke brilliantly about the ability to go to the White House.
“Thank you, Mr. President, for having today. We appreciate it greatly. Being one of the few Americans who love this country so much, it’s an incredible day for me. You wake up every day really grateful to be an American. So thank you,” he said.
Tkachuk then told the president how special the group of men was. Florida appeared in the Stanley Cup final for the second consecutive time last season and was finally able to overcome the bump and win the trophy for the first time in the history of the franchise.
President Donald Trump poses with Aleksander Barkov, on the left, and Matthew Tkachuk with a jersey and a hockey stick during a ceremony with the Florida panthers to celebrate their victory in the Stanley Cup, on February 3, 2025, in the White House. (AP photo / Alex Brandon)
“This team and this group of guys are special,” he added. “Everyone sees what we do on the ice, but I have built links with these guys that I will have for the rest of my life. I am eternally grateful for these guys. We are forever champions, and I will always remember these guys.”
