Fansided

No White House invite for WNBA Champion Minnesota Lynx

By Brendon Kleen

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 17: Cheryl Reeve of the Minnesota Lynx reacts during the game against the Washington Mystics in Game Three of the Semifinals during the 2017 WNBA Playoffs on September 17, 2017 at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 17: Cheryl Reeve of the Minnesota Lynx reacts during the game against the Washington Mystics in Game Three of the Semifinals during the 2017 WNBA Playoffs on September 17, 2017 at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The WNBA champion Minnesota Lynx have reportedly not received an invitation to visit the White house.

Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve told The Athletic this week that her team, the defending champions of the WNBA, has not received an invitation to the White House.

These visits are customary for American professional sports teams when they win a championship, but during the administration of President Donald Trump, many teams have declined the invitation. Now, Reeve and the Lynx appear to have been ignored completely.

Reeve told The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch that Minnesota heard from the White House within 24 hours of their 2011, 2013 and 2015 titles. Those who were still with the team after the season would gather for a call with the president, while the team waited until the next season when they visited the Washington Mystics to schedule their White House celebration.

It was national news last year when members of the Golden State Warriors said they would be uninterested or unwilling to visit the White House due to political differences and problems with the administration. The controversy even found its way onto the president’s Twitter feed, when he said that the team’s hesitation caused him to revoke their invitation.

Many WNBA players go overseas to compete in the offseason, meaning scheduling a visit for the whole team can be difficult. The Los Angeles Sparks were unable to make the visit after their 2015 WNBA title, so President Barack Obama wrote them a congratulatory letter instead.

Lynx forward Rebekkah Brunson told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune in October should would not go with the team to the White House if they were invited. Reeve said regardless of White House leadership, the decision to visit is made as part of a conversation with the team.

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“I don’t want to think that maybe it is because we are women and we are not as valued, but it is hard to see it anything different than that because the men’s sports have been invited,” Reeve told The Athletic.

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