The Biggest Flubs and Goofs Made When a Sports Team Visited the White House

It’s been a timeless tradition to invite sports teams to the White House after winning a coveted championship – but not every visit has gone off without a hitch.

The custom began in 1869 when President Ulysses S. Grant hosted the Cincinnati Red Stockings — the first professional baseball team to visit the White House, per ESPN. Five decades later, the first-ever World Series championship team, the Washington Senators, reportedly met with President Calvin Coolidge in 1925.

Since then the tradition has lived on, and while the visits are a prestigious affair there have been plenty of silly moments between political officials and champion athletes. In 2023, Travis Kelce jokingly tried to take the podium during the Kansas City Chiefs visit while President Joe Biden received a jersey from the team. Kelce’s teammate, Patrick Mahomes, intervened and apologized for the tight end’s behavior.

Two years later, Vice President JD Vance went viral after he dropped Ohio State’s college football national championship trophy and seemingly broke it.

Keep scrolling to see some of the biggest flubs and goofs made when a sports team visited the White House:

George W. Bush’s Manny Ramirez Quip

The Boston Red Sox made the trip down to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave in 2007, but Ramirez opted not to attend. During Bush’s address to the team, the president poked fun at Ramirez for skipping the event.

“I love the fact that you’ve got some of the game’s biggest stars — I mean, Big Papi, the guy lights up the screen. He brings a great personality,” Bush said of David Ortiz before bringing up Ramirez. “I’m sorry his running mate, Manny Ramirez, isn’t here. I guess his grandmother died again.”

After getting a round of laughs, Bush teased he was “just kidding.”

“Tell Manny I didn’t mean it. But I do want to quote him. He said, ‘When you don’t feel good, and you still get hits, that’s when you know you’re a bad man.’ I don’t know what that means,” he continued. “But if bad man means good hitter, he’s a really bad man, because he was clutch in the World Series and clutch in the playoffs.”

Making Rob Gronkowski Keep His Shirt On

Gronkowski and the New England Patriots visited President Barack Obama in 2015 after winning Super Bowl XLIX. During Obama’s address, he teased Gronkowski, who is best known for his silly demeanor.

“Gronkowski, just being Gronkowski. He’s not making rabbit ears back there, is he?” Obama teased. “I told him to keep his shirt on. He asked me what would happen if he took it off. I said, ‘Secret Service probably wouldn’t like it.’ He said, ‘What could they do to me?’”

Travis Kelce Takes the Podium

Biden didn’t forget Kelce’s viral 2023 moment when the Chiefs returned to the White House the following year after the team won back-to-back Super Bowls. When addressing the team, Biden spoke directly to Kelce and invited him to join him at the podium — which he complied.

“My fellow Americans,” Kelce told the crowd, the same message he shared the previous year. “It’s nice to see all of you again.”

After getting some laughs from the crowd, Kelce turned to Biden to let him know he was on his best behavior this time around.

“I won’t lie, President Biden, they told me if I came up here I’d get tased, so I’m going back to my spot,” he said.

JD Vance Drops Ohio State’s Trophy

In April 2025, Vance and President Donald Trump welcomed the Buckeyes after their championship win earlier that year. While posing for pics, Vance pointed over at the bust indicating that they should pose with it in addition to Trump’s jersey and football helmet. One player nodded his head at Vance in encouragement, so the politician walked over to the trophy and attempted to pick it up.

While trying to handle the hardware, Vance seemingly struggled to lift it. When he got a hold of it thanks to some help from running back TreVeyon Henderson, the trophy separated and Vance dropped the base on the ground. Henderson and Vance attempted to put it back together, but Vance ultimately only posed with the top portion. After the moment went viral, Vance poked fun at the flub.

“I didn’t want anyone after Ohio State to get the trophy so I decided to break it,” he quipped via X.