The Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl and Saquon Barkley went to the White House. It's a recent tradition for football's best team to visit the President as a team. Typically, said meeting is relatively straightforward, with pleasantries involves and snacks provided. It sounds like a pretty good day, especially when said group doesn't involve a president on the verge of fascism at worst, and oligarchy at best. Yet, this is the reality we chose. On Monday, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley had to tell the media he didn't consent to being placed on the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, and would not be taking part.
Of course, consent doesn't mean all that much to this administration. Whether media entities or literal people prefer not to be involved in Trump's ideology, he drags them into the pit regardless. That's what Trump stands for, whether you like him or not. He is impossible to avoid. You must have a stance on this administration, because he is everywhere. Barkley was in the middle of nowhere – I've been to Eagles training camp – getting ready for the season.
Saquon Barkley wasn't allowed to stick to sports
Even then, Trump was able to find him, through a reporter who asked a basic question. To be clear, we would never blame that reporter – Barkley working for the Trump administration would be a major story! However, he quickly shot down that suggestion.
"A couple of months ago, it was brought to my team about the council," Barkley said. "So, I'm not really too familiar with it. I felt like that I'm going to be super busy [with the football season], so me and my family thought it probably was in our best interest to not accept that. [I] was definitely a little shocked when my name was mentioned, but I'm assuming it's something great. But [I] was a little shocked when my name was mentioned."
Barkley, for the record, did not sign up to be on the president's committee. In fact, he wants no part of it. He's super busy right now – or at least that's breakup code. The committee will report to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Per ABC News, the administration is considering a ban on transgender athletes participating in women's sports, though it's unclear if this committee will play a role in such bold statements.
Why the Trump administration won't let us stick to sports
The Trump administration has proven to be a polarizing one for the sports world. With their stance on banning transgender athletes – which is a very small percentage of the overall amateur athlete population – as well as ICE's use of the Dodger Stadium parking lot (they were subsequently kicked out) in hopes of detaining immigrants, Trump hasn't exactly lived up to the typical conservative billing of steering clear of sports.
Frankly, we would all love to write about sports. I am not a political columnist. My own views are private, even though you can probably understand where I fall on Trump. That is not the case in every election cycle, I can assure you. Trump makes it easy, in part because he makes my life – and the lives of many others – worse.
It's not always so simple. It doesn't have to be. All I ask is to stick to sports and avoid topics like these altogether. The only time I referenced the executive branch during the Biden administration was when a champion visited the White House. The article was a series of highlights and comments from important players.
Why has that changed? It's not me, I can assure you. Sports and politics are more intertwined than ever before, and it ought to annoy more than just those of us writing about it.