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LSU’s Angel Reese said the team would not be attending the traditional White House celebration for champions after comments made by First Lady Dr. Jill Biden.
After LSU won their first NCAA women’s national championship Sunday, expectations across the sports world were that the team would visit the White House to celebrate their win, a tradition for sports champions.
But a comment by First Lady Dr. Jill Biden on Monday has seemed to put that tradition in jeopardy.
Speaking at an appearance in Denver the day after LSU’s championship, Biden congratulated both teams but then suggested something bizarre in the sports world.
“So I know we’ll have the champions come to the White House, we always do,” Biden said. “So, we hope LSU will come but, you know, I’m going to tell Joe [Biden] I think Iowa should come, too, because they played such a good game.”
“Winners and losers, that’s sportsmanship. That’s good sportsmanship.”
Except it’s something that has never been done or suggested before in the sports world.
And when athletes questioned Biden’s comments online Monday night, her press secretary attempted to walk back her comments Tuesday.
“[Dr. Biden] admires how far women have advanced in sports since the passing of Title IX,” Vanessa Valdivia said. “Her comments in Colorado were intended to applaud the historic game and all women athletes. She looks forward to celebrating the LSU Tigers on their championship win at the White House.”
Appearing on the I AM ATHLETE podcast, Reese said she did not accept the pseudo-apology saying “if we were to lose, we would not be getting invited to the White House.”
Appearing on ESPN, Iowa’s Caitlin Clarke agreed that they shouldn’t be invited to the White House.
“I don’t think runner-ups usually go to the White House. I think LSU should enjoy that moment for them and congratulations, obviously, they deserve to go there. Maybe I could go to the White House on different terms though,” Clark said. “That’s for LSU. That’s a pretty cool moment and they should enjoy every single second of being a champion.”
LSU’s athletics department said Wednesday they would “certainly accept an invitation” to the White House, so we will see if the team attends.
Angel Reese Trash Talk Upsets the Non-Athletes
Social media was lit ablaze Sunday night after a competitive matchup between Angel Reese and Iowa’s Caitlin Clarke, two of the game’s biggest trash talkers. Reese hit Clarke with a John Cena “you can’t see me” celebration at the end of the game, the same celebration Clarke did against Louisville. This sent Twitter into a frenzy with some calling Reese “classless” and “a f*cking idiot” while others pointing out that Reese was giving Clarke a taste of her own medicine.
“All year, I was critiqued for who I was. I don’t fit the narrative,” Reese said postgame. “I don’t fit the box that y’all want me to be in. I’m too hood. I’m too ghetto. Y’all told me that all year. But when other people do it, y’all don’t say nothing. So this is for the girls that look like me. For those that want to speak up for what they believe in. It’s unapologetically you. And that’s what I did it for tonight. It was bigger than me tonight.”
Clarke’s fiery game and trash talk was celebrated earlier in the tournament by commentators, and it’s a big part of what brought over 9 million viewers to the championship game.
But the tone of commentators shifted drastically when Angel Reese was the one doing the celebrating, and Clarke came to her defense speaking to ESPN Tuesday.
“I don’t think Angel should be criticized at all,” Clark said in an ESPN interview on Tuesday. “I’m just one that competes, and she competed. I think everybody knew there was going to be a little trash talk in the entire tournament. It’s not just me and Angel.”
She added: “Men have always had trash talk…You should be able to play with that emotion…That’s how every girl should continue to play.”