Many believe former President Jimmy Carter's administration birthed the tradition of Super Bowl championship-winning teams visiting the White House when he hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers and the World Series-winning Pittsburgh. It did in a way, but the idea actually dates back to August, 1965. President Andrew Johnson welcomed two amateur baseball clubs, the Brooklyn Atlantics and the Washington Nationals as his guest many moons ago.
Fast forward to the present, and the custom of Super Bowl winners being invited still lives on today. The NFL's world champion plans its trip to Washington D.C. each season. Well... They do so most of the time. If you remember, Philly was supposed to visit President Trump in 2018 after their first Super Bowl win, but the latter rescinded that invitation at the last minute.
Tensions among national anthem protests were heavy, and several Eagles had no interest in accepting Trump's invitation and attending. The organization offered to send a smaller delegation. The President refused, stating the 1,000 fans who had planned to attend "deserved better".
He went on to state they were welcome to do so at a "different type of ceremony". Here we are again.
History looks to be repeating itself. The Eagles are again Super Bowl champions. President Trump is again the Commander in Chief. This time, however, the Birds have declined the
History looks to be repeating itself. The Eagles are again Super Bowl champions. President Trump is again the Commander in Chief. This time, however, the Birds are declining the U.S. Head of State's invitation.
Social media reacts to the Eagles' reported refusal of President Trump's White House invitation, but varying news refutes the previous story.
Well, as you might imagine, this one has become a discussion point. Fans have flocked to social media to support and oppose Philly's decision. We have kept this G-rated as we decided against sharing some of the more unfortunate comments made by opposing factions.
Eagles' "HELL NO" to Trump’s White House invite is pure Philly grit—standing tall against a president who’d rather stoke division than celebrate their Super Bowl win. 🦅
— Richard Angwin (@RichardAngwin) February 24, 2025
White House source: the Philadelphia Eagles have not rejected a White House invite. The reports that have gone viral on social media are fake news. The White House has not even sent the official invite to the Eagles yet.
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) February 24, 2025
This story isn't meant to offend or incite support for one side or the other. We're just the messengers here, but a new report states the Eagles have not rejected President Trump's offer. Here's an excerpt from Jake Nisse's work. He's the author of the varying report.
"The champions did not visit President Trump after previously winning the championship in 2018 - during his first term - and The US Sun reported earlier this month that they would be skipping out on the honor this time around too. That report began to spread around social media over the weekend.
However, according to a White House source who spoke with Outkick founder Clay Travis, the Eagles have not rejected a trip to Washington - with the White House reportedly yet to even send an official invite yet."
The plot thickens. At the time of this story's release, there hasn't been an official statement made by the Philadelphia Eagles or the White House.
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