Chicago Cubs owner: Trump must put aside politics, re-invite Eagles
Chicago Cubs co-owner Todd Ricketts told Fox Business on Monday that President Donald Trump should consider re-inviting the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles to the White House.
Fox host Charles Payne introduced Ricketts as someone who believes “President Trump should once again invite the Philadelphia Eagles to the White House.”
“Why do you want to see this happen?” Payne asked. “And is it really possible at this point?”
“Well Charles, you know, my view on this is that a few years ago we won the World Series with the Cubs, and we were invited to go to the White House with (former President Barack) Obama,” Ricketts said. The Cubs won the World Series in 2016 and were one of the last teams to visit Obama’s White House.
The point that Ricketts was trying to make is that he’s a “pretty solid Republican” who still found it in himself to be bipartisan and visit the Obama administration’s White House.
“But when the president invites you, you show up and you come and you have fun,” Ricketts said. “And really I just wanted to say to the Eagles and those guys, that you can have fun, set aside your politics for the day, and go enjoy being celebrated.”
“Enjoy having reached the pinnacle of your sport,” he added.
Ricketts does raise the very good point that the traditional sports champion’s visit to the White House doesn’t need to be politicized by either the team or the current administration, despite the setting. It is difficult to ascertain when exactly sports became so politicized. Some may point to Trump’s disparaging comments regarding the NFL’s anthem protesters in September, but others would point out that the NFL’s Colin Kaepernick had been kneeling since 2016.
“And if you really need to, I’m sure the president would be happy to take the time to have a conversation about the issues that are on their minds,” Ricketts said.
Of note, Ricketts does find himself in the unique position of being a power player in both politics and sports. The cries from sports fans that politics and sports shouldn’t intersect doesn’t necessarily apply to him. Not only does Ricketts co-own one of the most iconic franchises in baseball history, but he is also the finance chair of the Republican National Committee.
When Payne brought up the fair point that it seems en vogue for athletes and celebrities to bash the Trump administration, Ricketts again pushed for unity rather than division.
“At the end of the day, whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, or whether you’re an Eagles fan or a Patriots fan, or a Warriors or a Cavaliers (fan), we’re all Americans,” Ricketts said. “And at a certain point, I think that people go to sporting events, really, to kind of get away from the grind of politics and the news of the day and what’s bugging them at home.”
“Sports are supposed to be a little bit above those politics.”
Ricketts also acknowledged that he understands some players and celebrities didn’t vote for Trump and don’t like him being president.
“For the good of our country, I think it’s good to have the sports teams visit the White House,” Ricketts said. “It’s a rare opportunity and I don’t think anybody should skip (it).”
It’s a refreshing and increasingly rare take to see from Ricketts in today’s hyper-partisan climate.
His Cubs will certainly have their work cut out for them if they plan on visiting the White House after the season.
Chicago is only a half-game behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central, and firmly in Wild Card contention, but will face some stiff competition in the postseason should they make it that far.
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