Following the Golden State Warriors’ second title in three years, immediate controversy arose about whether the team would visit with President Donald Trump at the White House. No matter who has been in office, it’s been a decades-long tradition — professional sports teams being honored by the leader of the free world.
But the Warriors might very well be the exception. To say that certain members of the organization have been outspoken against Trump and his policies would be an understatement. It’s led to reports and speculation that the Warriors would skip a visit with Trump.
Now, speaking up about whether his teams should go to the White House, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver had some interesting comments.
“I definitely don’t think it should be a league decision. I don’t think we should be directing teams or players to go to the White House,” Silver told C.J. McCollum, via The Players’ Tribune. “It’s my view that if invited, our teams should go to the White House — that regardless of people’s personal or political views, I think that these institutions are bigger than any individual politician, any elected official.”
This is definitely a solid argument in favor of the Warriors visiting the White House. Respect for the institution and the office of presidency. It goes without saying that many athletes who visited with former President Barack Obama didn’t agree with his politics. Even then, this type of drama was rare. Most players and teams held and open hand and met with the former president.
On the other hand, the Warriors themselves have been outspoken in many ways against Trump — making a potential visit about as awkward as possible. It will surely be interesting to see what happens here and whether it starts a tradition of teams skipping White House visits.