President Joe Biden welcomed the Los Angeles Dodgers to the White House on Friday to celebrate their 2020 World Series win with a cheerful ceremony that represented a stark departure from the heavily politicized gatherings of professional sports teams under former President Donald Trump.
via: CNN
The trip to the White House has long been a hallmark of American sports as victorious teams get a chance to meet the president when their team visits Washington for a game during the following season or during the off-season. The Dodgers were the first team from the four major American sports leagues to visit Biden in the White House after the reigning NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers decided to skip their visit in April due to coronavirus concerns. The President has also invited the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the White House after their victory in February.
During the ceremony in the East Room, Biden praised the team for giving their fans so much joy during the difficult 2020 season, which was shortened and played in mostly empty ballparks because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The President said it became more clear than ever in 2020 just how important sports are to the American psyche.
“I think what we discovered is that we need sports more than we ever realized,” Biden said. “We see it now as fans return to ballparks and arenas all across the country, cheering on their favorite teams and players and sharing that sense of community and pride. It’s a uniting feature.”
The event was the first of several at the White House this weekend that will look much like pre-pandemic times. The President is welcoming about 1,000 people to the executive mansion’s South Lawn on Sunday for July Fourth festivities.
During his remarks, Biden thanked the organization for allowing iconic Dodger Stadium to be used for both Covid testing and vaccinations. The President said more than 1 million Covid-19 tests were conducted at the stadium and about a half-million shots were administered there. The organization was also the first American sports team to offer up its stadium as a site for distanced outdoor voting during the 2020 election, according to Biden.
The Champs clean up nice. pic.twitter.com/lUW6vLUUAP
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 2, 2021
The 2020 World Series Champions at the White House. pic.twitter.com/KA7Xz2QAhG
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 2, 2021
White House vibes. pic.twitter.com/RlhyeCGuHx
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 2, 2021
Champs. pic.twitter.com/YaYS0aRICB
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 2, 2021
Surely LeBron and last year’s NBA Championship’s Lakers team will be there to visit soon as well.
