Sport

Trump hasn't hosted a single solo reception for a women's sport team at the White House

Picture:
Picture:
Oliver Contreras-Pool/Getty Images

Donald Trump once again hosted dinner for a college football team at the White House – but he has yet to host any women’s college sports teams.

Trump became the first US president since Bill Clinton to host a football team that won a title at the NCAA’s secondary division – the North Dakota State Bisons.

This is the second in recent weeks for Trump to surprise a team with fast food, heaping tables in the East Room high with burgers.

His decision to host the Bisons, and the Clemson Tigers just a few months before, comes at a vast contrast to the reported lack of attention he has given to female athletes.

There hasn’t been any women’s championship team to have visited the White House solo under Trump’ presidency, The Washington Post reported.

In fact, more people attended the NCAA women's basketball championship game (with Notre Dame coming out on top) than the North Dakota winning game.

A number of women’s teams attended an event in 2017, in which the president celebrated women’s and men’s college sports championships.

South Carolina women were invited to an event but declined so that they could train for the NCAA title. The coach at the time, Diane Staley, said when the team won (which it went on to do), they would welcome an invitation to the White House and would be happy to go.

She later told The Associated Press in late September that she hadn’t received an invite and "that spoke volumes".

The lack of women's college sports teams in the White House is painfully obvious.

Neither the Minnesota Lynx nor Seattle Storm – both Women’s NBA champions – were invited to the recent event. The Post confirms that every women's college basketball champion has been invited to the White House since 1983 - before Trump became president. That's five presidents.

Here are some of the women's college teams that should probably get a look in:

  • Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's basketball team (2018 NCAA champions)
  • Stanford Cardinal women's volleyball (2018 NCAA champions) 
  • The Stanford Cardinal swimming team (NCAA Division I champions)
  • North Carolina field hockey team (2018 NCAA champions)
  • Cal Golden Bears rowing team (Twice NCAA champions)
  • Florida State Seminoles  (2018 NCAA soccer champions) 

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