Iowa coach turns down White House offer in message to First Lady and President
Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder thanked First Lady Jill Biden for the invitation but insisted the National Champion LSU Tigers should be the only team going to the White House.
On Monday, Biden said she hoped to invite both LSU and the Iowa Hawkeyes to the White House after the Tigers clinched the NCAA Tournament title with a 102-85 win. Biden - who was in attendance at the American Airlines Center in Dallas to watch the clash - congratulated both teams on their performance in Sunday’s national championship game, while she specifically highlighted Iowa’s sportsmanship.
“I know we’ll have the champions come to the White House - we always do,” Biden said. “So, we hope LSU will come. But, you know, I’m going to tell Joe I think Iowa should come, too, because they played such a good game.”
It isn’t normal or tradition for the losing team of a championship to get invited to the White House, but Biden pointed to the evolution of women’s sports since Title IX was implemented in 1972 as a reason to celebrate the event. However, Bluder decided she is not going to take her Hawkeyes to Washington.
“I gratefully acknowledge the First Lady’s sentiments, but a day at the White House should belong solely to the champion, LSU and Coach Mulkey,” the three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year wrote on Twitter. “We would welcome the First Lady and President to come to Iowa’s 'House' - Carver Hawkeye Arena - any time!”
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On Tuesday, the First Lady’s press secretary Vanessa Valdivia attempted to clarify the invitation, taking to social media to suggest Biden’s comments "were intended to applaud the historic game and all women athletes. She looks forward to celebrating the LSU Tigers on their championship win at the White House."
Angel Reese led the LSU Tigers to their first NCAA Championship on Sunday (Getty)However, LSU star player Angel Reese did not take the invitation extended to Iowa well. The 20-year-old played a key role in the Tigers’ victory over the Hawkeyes to win the first national title in program history on Sunday, and she was named the women’s NCAA tournament’s Most Outstanding Player as a result of her performances.
During an appearance on the ‘I am Athlete’ podcast, Reese claimed her team would not have been invited to the White House if Iowa had won on Sunday, saying: “I just know if the roles were reversed, it wouldn't be the same. If we were to lose, we would not be getting invited to the White House.”
While President Joe Biden said he looks forward to meeting LSU women’s as well as the men’s UConn Huskies, Reese is unsure if she will attend the White House visit. In a comment on an Instagram post from ‘The Shade Room’ which included Reese’s tweet where she referred to the First Lady’s invitation as a ‘joke’, the recently crowned NCAA champion wrote: “WE NOT COMING. period.”
According to ESPN, Sunday’s national championship drew a record-breaking average of 9.9 million viewers. The game peaked at 12.6 million viewers to become the most-viewed NCAA Division I women’s college basketball game in history.
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