Since the beginning of 2017, only 11 of 25 title-winning teams from major United States professional and collegiate sports have visited the White House to celebrate with the President. This count includes teams from the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, WNBA, Division I college football, Division I men’s college basketball and Division I women’s college basketball. It excludes recent championship teams in these leagues from Canada, MLS’ Toronto FC and the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, as well as teams representing the United States in international competitions, including the 2019 World Cup-winning women’s national soccer team and medal-winning Olympians from the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
The figures contrast to those seen during the eight years of the Obama administration, when 68 of 72 title-winning teams celebrated their achievements with the president in Washington.
Even among those organizations that have visited the Trump White House, several players have individually opted not to attend as part of their teams’ delegation.
While several organizations have been vocal about their decisions not to attend -- the 2017 Golden State Warriors, for instance -- it is unclear how many of the 14 non-attending teams chose not to visit and how many the White House did not invite.
The 2019 MLS Cup champion Seattle Sounders, the most recent championship-winning team in major American sports, are not expected to travel to Washington, D.C., to meet the president. Both the organization and the White House declined to comment on whether an invitation had been extended or whether a visit was in the works.
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