Athletes Keep Letting Trump Make Fools Out of Them
Trump’s “College Sports Roundtable” is Friday. It’s the latest example of how those in sports who deal with him wind up looking stupid.
By Carron J. Phillips
It’s the ultimate meeting that could have been an email.
Scratch that. It’s an email that should have stayed a draft.
The president has put together a College Sports Roundtable at the White House to discuss the countless issues facing college sports, with Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and New York Yankees President Randy Levine leading the panel. Nick Saban, Tiger Woods, Tim Tebow, Adam Silver, and other political figures, coaches, executives, and college sports stakeholders are expected to attend.
Do you know who wasn’t invited?
Actual college athletes.
The decision to exclude them makes this another useless discussion highlighted by theatrical pomp and circumstance that won’t resolve issues or bring forth change. It will, however, do what it’s intended to do, which is to boost Trump’s ego by proving that he can summon whomever he wants whenever he wants. The stunt is similar to the one that Trump pulled last year when his “Presidential Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition” was full of people who have no business giving counsel.
“It’s people who could be involved in helping shape the future of college athletics and some of the solutions and strategies to structuring the athletic world going forward,” a source who plans to attend, told ESPN’s Heather Dinich. “It’s so preliminary, it’s hard to say anything with any sort of specificity because there hasn’t been anything provided to us in writing of that sort yet.”
Trump is having a field day manipulating dumb jocks and senseless stakeholders.
NHL star Brady Tkachuk learned that when he took issue with the White House for sharing a doctored video on social media that made it appear that he called Canadians “maple syrup eating f***s” after Team USA beat Canada in the gold medal game at the Winter Olympics. “I would never say that. That’s not who I am,” he claimed. Tkachuk also denied being a voice that was heard saying “Close the northern border” during the team’s call with Trump after their win. “I don’t really know how that kind of took a storm on its own when I play here and give everything I have here,” the captain of the Ottawa Senators explained.
It happened because Tkachuk and his teammates were fine with associating themselves with a man who has a history of posting on social media false and unflattering things about his alleged rivals. Despite Team USA’s recent win being the first gold medal in men’s hockey since 1980, the conversation has been more about who they disrespected than about what they accomplished.
“We’re just focusing on celebrating the women in our room, the extraordinary efforts, and continue to celebrate three gold medals in program history as well as the double gold for both men’s and women’s at the same time. And really not detract from that with a distasteful joke.” These were the words of Team USA Olympic gold medal winner Hilary Knight. They were in response to comments from Trump, as he told the men’s team, “I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that,” as he “joked” that he would “probably would be impeached” if he didn’t invite a team that has historically been more successful than the men.
Former U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe perfectly explained why White House visits are no-win situations. “He’s using you to do something else, which isn’t just celebrating your moment. He’s always going to co-opt,” she warned.
“I always say this, like I can’t believe how … people have such a lack of self-preservation. But, if you don’t think you’re in threat, then you’re not going to preserve,” she said while all but pointing to white male privilege as the culprit.
Democracy needs more athletes like Rapinoe and fewer like Saquon Barkley.
The Philadelphia Eagles star running back was originally announced as a member of Trump’s council last year despite having declined it. His relationship with the president garnered headlines when the Philadelphia Eagles accepted a White House invitation after winning Super Bowl 59, despite Trump disinviting the team after they won Super Bowl 52. Barkley’s performance drastically declined after he became associated with the president. In 2025, Barkley rushed for 1,140 yards on 280 carries for seven touchdowns. It was a huge drop-off from the year prior — before becoming Trump’s BFF — when he ran for over 2,000 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Some will argue that defensive coordinators came up with elaborate schemes to limit Barkley after his historic season. Smart people will remind you that karma is real.
Similar to American voters, American athletes have shown that they didn’t learn anything from Trump’s antics during his first term, as the conversation around whether or not athletes and championship teams would be invited and/or make a visit to the White Housemoved sports into a conversation about political affiliation. However, on this go-around, athletes’ choices aren’t being simply viewed as lapses in judgment. They’re being taken for what they are — a definitive stand in support of this president and his administration. With this administration’s tendency to use sports to promote its vile agendas, we’ve reached a point at which fans have been put in a position where they must decide if they’re going to continue to support the players, coaches, and teams that keep associating with this regime.
Recently, former Auburn Coach Bruce Pearl tweeted that “The world is safer” because we’re now in a war with Iran that no one asked for nor did Congress approve. The social media post from the current TNT college basketball analyst exemplifies just how out of touch some in the sports world have chosen to be when it comes to dealing with anything that has to do with the president. Weeks prior, college football podcaster Josh Pate was baffled at the blowback he received from having Trump on as a guest, as it was proof that he’s illiterate when it comes to reading the room politically.
“I think what they found out is having Donald Trump on our college football podcast is not a lot, a sizable, a growing number of college football fans’ favorite thing. And there will be a cost,” explained Van Lathan, co-host of The Ringer Tailgate.
A decade ago, Trump and many members of his political party felt that athletes should just “shut up and dribble” and “stick to sports.” It was coded language for, “We don’t care about the things that are affecting Black athletes and women in sports because we only view them as a form of entertainment, not human beings.” Ten years later, and Trump has run a misdirection play on the sports world by appealing to their deliberate stupidity and conflict avoidance to boost his ego. And, in turn, the sports world has treated him like a “Make-A-Wish-Kid” instead of the Machiavellian tyrant he’s always been.
Carron J. Phillips is an award-winning journalist who writes on race, culture, social issues, politics, and sports. He hails from Saginaw, Michigan, and is a graduate of Morehouse College and Syracuse University. Follow his personal Substack to keep up with more of his work.
USA Hockey really dropped the ball allowing any association whatsoever with the Trump administration, an administration that could be easily argued as the most corrupt, abusive and misogynistic in history. This administration openly and almost gleefully craps all over American citizens, how could one lend it any legitimacy by accepting an invite to celebrate with them?
Trump is "making fools" of everyone, not just athletes. I am more concerned about him making fools of members of the Supreme Court and Congress. And in their case the right term isn't "fools," its "useful idiots" Putin and Xi are enjoying the moment along with Trump.