Sports have always been political. In the 1930’s, politics in sports really increased due to more media exposure.
The relationship between the two began with sending Jesse Owens, a black man, to Germany for the Olympics in 1936, when Hitler was imposing a system of aryan supremacy. The relationship was heightened when baseball players like Joe DiMaggio and Babe Ruth joined World War II.
Politics in sports gained even more traction in the ’40s, after the war, as Jackie Robinson integrated baseball. Sports were also involved in politics in the ’80s, at the height of the Cold War, when the United States hockey team beat the Soviet Union in what is now dubbed “The Miracle on Ice.”
Who are we to say sports should not be political? Teams are made up of athletes, who, unlike the majority of us, are in the spotlight, but athletes are also private citizens with their own systems of beliefs and values.
Those who say sports are an escape from the world of politics really do not pay attention to sports or athletes at all.
When a team in one of the main four leagues (NBA, NHL, NFL, and MLB) wins their respective championship, that team is usually invited to meet with the leader of their country—whether it is President Donald Trump or Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Since the Golden State Warriors won the NBA Finals mid-June, it has been questioned whether or not the Warriors would accept the invitation from Trump to visit the White House.
On Sept. 23, Trump rescinded the invitation to the Warriors, specifically calling their star player Stephen Curry out because Curry previously said he did not want to attend.
According to Dan Gartland of Sports Illustrated, the Warriors were scheduled to meet later in the day on Sept. 23, before Trump tweeted they were not welcome, to discuss their decision as a team. However, Trump decided for them.
On Sept. 24, the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, who are the reigning Stanley Cup champions, announced they would accept Trump’s invitation to go to the White House. However, they added it would ultimately be up to individual players to decide if they wanted to attend—much like the New England Patriots after winning Super Bowl LI.
In the wake of all that has happened with Trump, the Golden State Warriors and the NFL in just this past weekend, this announcement from the NHL team could not have come at a more inconvenient time.
Trump believes NFL players who take the knee during the National Anthem should be fired, something many argue violates the First Amendment. It is an incendiary moment for sports and politics. 
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said in a statement to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “We respect the office of the White House.”
To many people, this looks like they are standing with Trump and his statements directly violating every American’s First Amendment right.
There has been backlash against the Penguins’ announcement and timing, especially from journalists of color. To put it in perspective, the NHL is comprised of 93 percent white athletes and the NBA is comprised of 74.4 percent African American athletes.
The Penguin’s decision to visit the White House comes as no surprise to avid sports fans who know the leagues’ demographics.
It is also tasteless in another way, as Peter Hassett for Russian Machine Never Breaks (a Washington Capitals-based blog) points out, “the Penguins just invited the press to ask every one of their players about their personal politics.”
However, this does not just extend to the Penguins. Invasive political questions are now asked across the leagues—especially to the few minority players.
All teams and athletes in the NBA, NFL and even WNBA are trying to take a stand for what they believe in, which is a stand against the Oval Office. Then, the Penguins basically shake hands with Trump while all others are shaking their heads.
ESPN’s Max Kellerman posed an interesting thought on the subject. 
“Should we hold people to some kind of decency standard or moral standard?” Kellerman said. “I think there is a line over which you cross, and I’m saying that this line has been crossed.”
Max Kellerman is right. A line has been crossed in this announcement and it makes the NHL look whiter and more insensitive to social issues than ever.