Joe Biden congratulates Super Bowl champion Rams, extends invite to White House

Following the Los Angeles Rams victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl 56, President Joe Biden has invited the Rams to visit the White House.

One of the most prominent, longstanding traditions following a championship is a visit to the White House. With a win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl 56, the Los Angeles Rams received an invite to head to Washington D.C.

In a tweet Sunday evening, President Joe Biden took the opportunity to invite Aaron Donald, Matthew Stafford and the rest of the Super Bowl-winning Rams to the White House.

In his tweet, Biden made sure to tag Doug Emhoff, the Second Gentleman of the United States. Emhoff, who is the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, calls Los Angeles his hometown and is also celebrating the Rams’ win.

President Biden invites Super Bowl champion Rams to White House

According to ESPN, the tradition of teams visiting the White House goes back well over a century. Per ESPN’s report, in 1865, President Andrew Johnson was visited by the Brooklyn Atlantics and Washington Nationals.

Both the Atlantics and Nationals were amateur teams, and as such President Ulysses S. Grant was the first to welcome a professional baseball team to the White House. That team happened to be the Cincinnati Red Stockings who showed up in 1869, according to ESPN. The Pittsburgh Steelers were the first team to make a trip to the White House following a win in a Super Bowl.

There have been a few times where athletes have opted out for various reasons, but the tradition continues today.