Trump, who is scheduled to attend the Super Bowl, has had a relationship with the NFL

During President Trump's first term, his relationship with the NFL was controversial.

He downplayed the severity of football concussions, even as the league took steps to reduce head injuries in games, suggesting that football is declining because it is not as violent as it once was. . Most notably, in 2017, he urged NFL owners to fire players who were not supportive of the national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality.

That led to Trump's league-wide responsibilities, with more players taking part in the protests, and even some of his supporters within the NFL, including the team owner, criticised his comments. After the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl for that season, Trump cancelled the traditional championship celebration at the White House when it was revealed that most players would refuse to attend. .

“They oppose the President because he claims that in honour of the great men and women of our military and the people of our nation, they proudly support the national anthem, hands above their hearts. Because they do,” he said in a statement seven years ago.

Times have changed. On Sunday, Trump is expected to become the first sitting US president to take part in the Super Bowl in person. He is at the Superdome in New Orleans and sees the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs as invited guests of Gail Benson, owner of the New Orleans Saints.

He wrote about the game on True Social on Friday morning, praised several players and coaches (though not the name), and took a jab with the league's new kickoff rules, as he did before. Ta.

“Two great quarterbacks in this game. Also an incredible running back and an absolute best tight end in football (to date!). Incredible coaching! A new one that looks really weird If you just remove the kickoff “deals” it actually makes football more dangerous, they all have a big favor, especially the fans. Anyway, it's going to be a great game!!!” Trump wrote.

Most politicians like to be around football due to their overwhelming popularity and the number of constituents that can be reached by appearing in the game or by reaching with star players and coaches. . Trump is an outlier as his connections with the league date back decades, ranging from ambitious to openly hostile.

Since the early 1980s, Trump has expressed interest in purchasing teams including the Baltimore Colts, New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bill. Unable to land the franchise, he bought the fledgling US Football League General New Jersey in 1984. He sued the NFL with other owners to prevent him from playing in the fall. After the bitter trial, USFL was awarded $3 in damages. The USFL quickly collapsed.

Having enjoyed taking part in sporting events like the UFC Fight and the College Football Championship Game, Trump was also a regular guest for the patriot Robert Craft before entering politics. When running for president in 2015 and 2016, he used his connections with the team to help raise his profile with soccer fans. Patriot quarterback Tom Brady temporarily kept America's great cap in his locker, while team coach Bill Belichick wrote a letter of support that Trump read on television . After he was selected, Kraft and six other NFL team owners each donated $1 million to the 2017 inauguration ceremony.

Then came his criticism and backlash from the players. However, the NFL is somewhere else from then. The player is no longer on his knees in protest. And the league will not stencil the phrase “end racism” in one of its Super Bowl end zones for the first time since 2021. This is a decision that comes as the Trump administration has moved aggressively to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

On Sunday, Trump will have another opportunity to talk about football.

“Historically, it's time to talk about unity and unity and celebrate this epic holiday with the civic religion of our people,” he said, “American Game: The Magnificent of How Pro Football Captured the Country.” “The Story” said Michael McCanbridge. “It's complicated for Donald Trump to celebrate football, especially due to the somewhat troubling relationship between the NFL and its players.”

The Vice President has been in the Super Bowl in the past, but the president has limited his connections to the game to traditional television interviews hours before kickoff on a network that airs matchups for the year. The 2009 interview is a way to reach large television viewers and convey the love of the game and the notion that the Super Bowl is one of the few events in American life that brings together diverse groups. (President Biden has chosen not to participate in television interviews for the past two years, and President Trump declined in 2018.) Trump noted that he will appear in an interview with Fox before the game.

Trump is also expected to meet survivors of the attack in the city's French district on New Year's Day, as well as the emergency medical workers who helped them. He also certainly appears on the video screen within the Superdome.

Many presidents, including Dwight D. Eisenhower, play football and speak with affection about the game and the NFL. President Richard Nixon was particularly obsessed with football and sent his plays to coaches, including George Allen and Don Shura. He also called out to congratulate Shura after Dolphins won Super Bowl VII in 1973.

Like other presidents, Barack Obama invited the Super Bowl champion to the White House. However, he said that if he has a son, he must “think for a long time and hard” before he lets him play football for the violence.

Three Vice Presidents took part in the Super Bowl. Spiro Agnew, the governor of Maryland, was the first. He went to Super Bowl III as a guest of Carol Rosenbloom, owner of the Baltimore Colts.

The Vice President and President sometimes participate in regular season games. In 2017, Vice President Mike Pence went to a Colts game in his hometown of Indiana, facing the national anthem as targeted by Colin Kaepernick and other players who were kneeling while performing “Star Spagle Flag.” .

During the campaign in October, Trump attended a game between the Jets and Steelers in Pittsburgh.

However, Sunday's Super Bowl has a much larger audience, over 100 million viewers in the US, and millions of viewers overseas.