The Philadelphia Eagles are willing to visit Trump’s White House (deep sigh)

It used to mean something when championship teams declined Trump. That was then, this is now.

By Carron J. Phillips

The last time the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl, Donald Trump disinvited them from the White House. This time, they’re all in.

“We would be honored to visit the White House,” a source from the team told CNN on Monday regarding an invitation that has not yet been extended. “It’s one of the things we had looked forward to doing and we look forward to receiving the invitation.”

Jay-Z might have been wrong when he initially said “We have moved past kneeling,” but time has proved him a prophet. It’s time to admit that the “activism movement” in sports is dead— and has been for a while.

During Trump’s first stint in the White House, declining invites to see him was the cool thing to do. The teams and athletes who accepted were often ridiculed and served fast food. Beyond the blackballing of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality, a lot of things transpired between the sports world and politics. Countless athletes— and even some politicians — took a knee as a silent protest against racism and police brutality. There were hashtags, marches, philanthropic work, and social media campaigns galore. NBA players even boycotted a playoff game, which shut the entire sports world down for a few days.

At times, it felt like the Oval Office and NFL owners were competing against each other on Sundays. The president would take shots at the country’s most popular league, and owners couldn’t decide what to do with him. Some voted for him and donated money. One even said, “We can't have inmates running the prison.” Others joined the protest and supported players. There was an anthem policy that came and went. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell admitted that he regretted not listening to Kaepernick. This acknowledgment came as the league was about to confront two lawsuits highlighting racism within its ranks: one from Brian Flores concerning the lack of Black head coaches and one from Jim Trotter addressing the absence of diversity at NFL Media.

And in the NBA, courts once featured the phrase “Black Lives Matter,” while the WNBA helped changed an election after the player’s endorsement of Raphael Warnock — who was polling at 9 percent before their support — helped make him the first Black U.S. senator in Georgia’s history.

And then, it all just stopped.

No, like, literally. It was as if racism and misogyny had been cured because we could go outside again and didn’t have to wear masks.

Think about it. When’s the last time the “activist athlete” has been active post-2020?

This is not necessarily an attack on athletes for their political ideologies or a reprimand for not using their platforms. It’s simply an observation that a group of people used to be involved in something and now that group of people is not involved in it. And since no one is above criticism, it’s fair game to wonder if their past actions were sincere or just convenient?

Even if we ignore the complete circus that has taken place over the past six weeks, it’s beyond odd to watch a group of people who rely on airplanes to get to work to not make a fuss about how aviation safety will play a huge role in how Trump’s first 100 days will be remembered.

It’s as if athletes got together and made a pact to do nothing the second time around.

Last year, we watched as women in the WNBA (a majority Black league) basically do nothing as a woman who looked like them was running a presidential campaign against a man who stands against their humanity. The “More Than A Vote” campaign lost its momentum, as did the emphasis on polling places. According to Sports Business Journal, 43 professional sports venues were used as early or Election Day voting sites in 2020. That number fell to 15 in 2024.

Oh, and if you were wondering:

The Florida Panthers became the first team to visit Trump when they trekked to the White House this month. The U.S. hockey team seemingly was excited to get a call from him before last week’s matchup with Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game.

That guy really knows how to play to his audience.

A few short years ago, athletes across the sports world were using their platforms to speak up. Now everybody seems afraid to rock the boat. And it’s not like things have greatly improved; they’re getting worse. So, if a franchise like the Philadelphia Eagles seems ready to “bend the knee,” then it appears athletes have decided to “shut up and dribble.”

Carron J. Phillips is an award-winning journalist who writes on race, culture, social issues, politics, and sports. He hails from Saginaw, Michigan, and is a graduate of Morehouse College and Syracuse University.

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