On January 26, Donald Trump was quick to congratulate the Chiefs after their conference championship win, but he was uncharacteristically quiet about the Eagles’ win earlier that day. Fans couldn’t help but imagine him seething about ‘The Birds’ going to the Super Bowl. Even leading up to the Chiefs versus Eagles, it was clear that the first sitting president to attend the big game was rooting for the red team. However, history tells us that there was so much more to the whole story; Especially after ‘The Iggles’ dominantly won LIX.

But let us go back to 2018 (2017 season). LII witnessed Philadelphia win, 41-33 against New England. For decades, it’s been a tradition for the Super Bowl-winning team to visit the President, but that year, something surprising took place. Trump had canceled the Philadelphia Eagles’ visit to the White House after only five or fewer players committed to attend the ceremony.

In a statement, Trump explained: “They disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country.” However, according to the Associated Press news agency, no players from the Eagles team knelt during the anthem in 2017 or remained in their locker room.

Interestingly, a month before Trump revoked the invitation, the NFL had enacted a national anthem policy for 2018. The policy would require players and personnel on the sidelines to stand during the national anthem or remain in the locker room, in case they did not want to stand.

The background to this whole issue dates back to 2016 when San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick declined to stand for the anthem. Similar methods were used to protest against racial injustice, where some players kneeled, like Kaepernick, or linked their arms to show their support for the movement.

However, the invitation being revoked from the Eagles snowballed into other things. For instance, the players who wanted to go to Washington were also looking forward to community events. This included visiting schools and community centers, but with the ceremony canceled, all these plans were dropped.

But this is in the past. With the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX win, will they visit the White House?

Top Comment by mtbchip

Sorry Donald, but sports are about teamwork with the ultimate goal of winning. Your track record is about about...more

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Pericles (an Athenian statesman) once said, “Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you.” And that seems to be the case with the Eagles. As per ‘The Sun’, a well-placed insider revealed that discussions between the Eagles’ players and the front office reached a conclusion that it would be a “massive no” to accept the White House visit invitation.

Further, an unnamed player reportedly stated that “pretty much everyone” was on the same page with regard to their refusal. “We represent a city and a state that is pushing for equal rights, respect, and values that respect every human being.”

“We won’t forget what happened and the criticism we received for taking a stand against racism, and we won’t back down from our values of respect, integrity, and equality.”

The tradition of the winners visiting the White House was started by the 39th President of the U.S., Jimmy Carter. Since then, most Super Bowl-winning teams have continued to take a trip to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The tradition, which began with NFL championships, later extended to other sports championships as well.

A deeper dive into the Eagles’ fraught history with Donald Trump!

The reason Jalen Hurts and the Eagles might not agree to visit the White House is the bitter past they share with President Trump that dates back to 2018. At that time, athletes across several sports were showing solidarity in protest against systemic racism in America by kneeling during the national anthem.

President Trump had called for the firing of those protesting athletes, showing strong disapproval of their actions. Following that, a majority of the Eagles players declined the invitation, showing solidarity with other athletes. Former Eagles DE Chris Long and former safety Malcolm Jenkins strongly voiced their opposition to Trump and his ideologies.

“The Philadelphia Eagles Football Team was invited to the White House. Unfortunately, only a small number of players decided to come, and we canceled the event,” posted Trump on X at that time. So now, once again, the Eagles find themselves in a similar position. It will be interesting to see if they are even extended an invitation this time or not.

Then, let us not forget that just a few months earlier (Nov. 2024), Michael Strahan was bashed left and right for not placing his hand over his heart during the national anthem on Veterans Day. It was a mistake that he later apologized for. But that shows how the smallest of gestures or mistakes can cause an uproar.

Do you think Trump will invite the Eagles?