Who Says Iowa Isn’t First?
You’re well aware of the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team and its amazing run to the national championship game. Along the way, thanks to a homegrown transcendent player, the team’s play was the catalyst for record-setting TV ratings for such games.
First Lady Jill Biden, speaking in Colorado Monday, congratulated LSU on winning, but then said Iowa should also be invited to the White House because they played so well. Less than a day later, a spokesperson for the First Lady had to walk that back, confirming that she was looking forward to meeting the LSU national champions at the White House.
Regardless, and while I would understand why the team would accept an invitation to D.C. should one be offered, here are two reasons why the team should not make such a trip.
First, the whole spirit of the thing is to win with honor and lose with dignity. Being the first second-place team to be honored is nothing more than an extension of the “participation ribbon” mentality that has adversely affected so much of society…although completely expected from this so-called progressive White House.
Beyond that, I doubt the players want to be pawns in the political game of a presidential campaign. The Biden team tried to wrest Iowa’s first-in-the-nation status away from us, but even they are figuring out that there will be some sort of event in Iowa before any other Democrat party event…and it just won’t do for the incumbent to stumble out of the gate. Keep in mind that Biden has never won the Iowa Caucus, and while it’s premature to know if he will run, or face partisan competition if he does, it’s interesting that the Biden side is trying to curry favor with Iowans like this.
Again, I understand the value of a free trip to Washington and a VIP tour of the White House. But I hope the Hawkeyes focus on taking the next step and earning that trip with a national title next year.
