When it comes to sports, the president has many duties
The job of President of the United States come with many responsibilities including Head of State and Commander in Chief of the armed forces.
But what roles will Donald Trump assume in the sports world as president?
The longest standing tradition: throwing out the first pitch. William Howard Taft began the tradition in 1910 and since then every single president – except Jimmy Carter – has tossed a ceremonial changeup at least once.
Perhaps the more frequent ceremony for the President is hosting league champions at the White House. In 2016 alone, President Obama hosted the Denver Broncos, Alabama Crimson Tide, Cleveland Cavaliers, Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Penguins, L.A. Sparks, Villanova Wildcats and – for the fourth time – the UConn Lady Huskies. Plus, the 2016 World Series Champion Cubs will be Obama’s final championship visit on Monday.
Recently, President Obama awarded Presidential Medals of Freedom to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Vin Scully – another presidential sports perk.
Presidents do also occasionally attend big sporting events. President-elect Donald Trump already took in the Army-Navy game in December.
The most prominent global event Trump might see? The Olympics. But often, the President will name a delegation to attend in his place – in Rio, that included Secretary of State John Kerry. The last sitting President to attend the Games – George W. Bush, who went to Beijing in 2008.
If things do get rocky in South Korea (2018) or Japan (2020), Trump could make the call to boycott the Games, as Jimmy Carter did for the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.
Trump – who carried the Olympic flame in 2004 – could also impact the push by Los Angeles to host the Games in 2024. He recently told L.A. mayor Eric Garcetti he supports SoCal’s bid, which will be voted on in September.
The U.S. could also be awarded the 2026 World Cup during Trump’s time in office.
On the fun side, Obama started the tradition of revealing his March Madness bracket … but it might be more likely that Trump makes another appearance on WWE’s “Monday Night Raw”.
The presidential sports task that number 45 is guaranteed to enjoy? Hitting the links. Only time will tell how often Trump tees it up, but it’s just a slice of the President-elect’s pending role in the sports world.
