This story was originally posted on MyNorthwest.com
The Seattle Seahawks have still not received a White House invitation after its dominating Super Bowl win.
According to The Seattle Times, President Donald Trump has yet to reach out to the team since their championship win nearly two weeks ago, with one NFL source revealing that, as of Wednesday, no invitation had been extended.
KIRO Newsradio has reached out to the White House for further clarification.
Rumors swirled online earlier this week, including an X post that received more than 3.8 million views, claiming the Seattle-based franchise had already turned down an invite, but that has since been debunked by multiple sources.
Championship-winning teams in professional sports have a long tradition of visiting the White House, and the sitting president, dating back to the mid-19th century and becoming a mainstay during the 1920s. However, in recent years, declining invitations have become increasingly commonplace.
Examples of teams turning down White House invitation
Trump canceled an invitation to the Philadelphia Eagles during his first term after the team won the Super Bowl in 2018, following some players’ refusal to attend. When the Eagles won again in 2025, 12 players skipped out on their invitation to visit the White House.
Additionally, in 2018, three members of the Washington Capitals declined their invitation to visit the White House after winning the Stanley Cup.
During the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Trump declared he would invite the U.S. women’s national soccer team, whether they won or lost. Megan Rapinoe, who spent most of her career playing for Seattle Reign FC, and multiple other teammates stated they had no interest in a White House visit due to the administration’s policies.
When the Seattle Storm won its third title in 2018, the team was not invited to the White House by Trump.
“It doesn’t feel exciting. Nobody wants to go,” Seattle Storm legend Sue Bird said at the time. “It’s totally changed, and that’s disappointing because it used to be something that most athletes looked forward to.”
The Golden State Warriors failed to visit the White House during multiple championship seasons that overlapped with Trump’s presidency. The head coach, Steve Kerr, has often spoken publicly about his disdain for the administration’s policies. Trump even disinvited the Golden State Warriors from the White House one time on Twitter, now X.
While Joe Biden was president, the 2023 college national champion Georgia Bulldogs declined its invitation to the White House.
It’s hard to confirm the earliest White House invitation rejections, but NBA Hall of Famer Larry Bird gave a now-famous quote as to why he chose not to visit the White House after winning the NBA Finals and being crowned Finals MVP in 1984: “If the president wants to see me, he knows where to find me.”
Michael Jordan quickly followed suit in 1991, after winning the first of his six titles, claiming he would rather play golf.
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