The Kansas City Chiefs got invited to the White House. Will they get to go this time?
The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t get to go to the White House the last time they won a Super Bowl because of the pandemic. Now they get another chance.
Shortly after the Chiefs won the big game Sunday, President Joe Biden said on Twitter that he looked forward to having them visit.
“Congrats to the Kansas City Chiefs on their Super Bowl win and to MVP @PatrickMahomes on leading the team to victory. Through injury and obstacles, you showed grit and true resilience,” Biden wrote.
The White House has not yet said when the Chiefs will visit. Teams usually come months after their championship, often during the off-season.
But if they do, it’ll be the team’s first time visiting 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Super Bowl Champions didn’t start visiting the White House until 1980, according to ESPN, when the Pittsburgh Steelers were invited by President Jimmy Carter in a joint ceremony with the 1979 World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates.
That means the Chiefs didn’t take the trip to Washington when they won Super Bowl IV in 1970.
When the Chiefs won in 2020, there was some back and forth setting a date for the visit with President Donald Trump before the COVID-19 pandemic ruled out any potential event.
White House visits have sometimes come with controversy. Boston Bruins player Tim Thomas didn’t make the trip during the Obama administration, citing the president’s politics.
Trump disinvited the Golden State Warriors in 2017 after reports that star point guard Steph Curry was hesitant to attend. And then in 2018, he revoked the Philadelphia Eagles’ invitation less than 24 hours before it was set to take place after a number of players said they planned to skip in protest of Trump’s policies.
The University of Kansas men’s basketball team was invited by Biden after it won the national championship last year, but the trip appears unlikely to happen. Jayhawks coach Bill Self told fans in December the team wanted to go, but hadn’t gotten much of a response from the White House on details.
While Biden congratulated the Chiefs, the visit may be a tough day for the White House. First lady Jill Biden grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs and is a big Eagles fan who attended the game.
Biden wrote on Twitter Sunday that as president he was neutral, but he was personally rooting for the Eagles because of his wife.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre made a friendly bet with the Democratic representatives from the Kansas City area and will be sending cheesesteaks their way now that the Chiefs won. Reps. Emanuel Cleaver and Sharice Davids had bets with other politicians and will likely have a months supply of the Philadelphia delicacy.
U.S. Sens. Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt sponsored a resolution honoring the Chiefs in the Senate.
“The Chiefs had a remarkable season, finishing strong with a hard-fought and well-deserved Super Bowl win,” Hawley said. “The Kansas City community could not be more proud of this team’s accomplishments, and we look forward to their continued success into the future.”
One of the lines in the resolution reads: “Whereas people all over the world are asking, ‘‘How ‘bout those Chiefs?’’
This story was originally published February 13, 2023 at 2:07 PM.
