The tradition of championship teams visiting the White House has turned messy under Trump — here are all the teams that refused to attend or weren’t invited

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In the first two-plus years of President Donald Trump’s administration, 20 major sports teams have won championships, but only ten celebrated at the White House.
Trump did not invite many of the teams, and some of those made it clear that they would not have attended even if he had.
Of the teams that did go to the White House, many of the ceremonies made headlines for either how the players or Trump handled the trip.
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In a little over two years since Donald Trump took office, 20 teams in major sports (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, WNBA, college football, men’s and women’s college basketball) have won championships, and during that time, the long-standing tradition of title-winners visiting the White House has turned into a bit of a circus.

Half of the 20 teams were either not invited or declined the invitation for varying reasons. The ceremonies for the other half either raised eyebrows or were marred by various reasons, including the absence of notable players, the presence of players who looked unhappy, teams that appeared to be embarrassed about the trip, and the growing habit of serving fast food to world-class athletes.

Below we take a look at every championship that did not go to the White House and the circumstances that surrounded those that did.

2016 Clemson Tigers — college football champions

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

Invited to White House? Yes

Attended White House ceremony? Yes

One thing to know: Before the visit, head coach Dabo Swinney was asked if his team would go to the White House: "Absolutely. I don’t care who’s in the White House. An opportunity to visit the White House is a special privilege. Put all of the political stuff aside, this is a unique experience for everyone involved."

2016 New England Patriots — Super Bowl champions

Andrew Harnik/AP

Invited to White House? Yes

Attended White House ceremony? Yes

One thing to know: Half of the players did not attend the ceremony, including Tom Brady. At least five players cited objections to Trump as their reason for not participating.

Source: Boston.com

2016-17 North Carolina Tar Heels — men’s college basketball champions

Mark Humphrey/AP

Invited to White House? Yes

Attended White House ceremony? No

One thing to know: UNC head coach Roy Williams had been critical of Trump and when asked after winning the title if the team would go, answered, "Let me think on it." The team was eventually invited but cited scheduling conflicts in declining the invitation.

Source: USA Today

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