Trump Becomes First Sitting President to Attend Super Bowl, Sparks Debate Over NFL and Politics:

Donald Trump has had a complicated relationship with football—first as a high school player, then as an owner of a rival league team, later as a critic of NFL players kneeling during the national anthem, and now as the first sitting U.S. President to attend a Super Bowl.

On Sunday, Trump flew from Florida to New Orleans to attend Super Bowl LVIII at the Caesars Superdome, where the Kansas City Chiefs faced off against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Trump Meets First Responders Before the Game

Before taking his seat in a luxury suite, Trump met with participants in the honorary coin toss, including:

Relatives of victims from the New Year's Day terrorist attack in New Orleans’ French Quarter
Police officers and emergency personnel

This Super Bowl also marked the first since the NFL removed the "End Racism" slogans from end zones, a decision that some critics view as aligning with Trump’s stance on diversity policies.

NFL and Trump: A History of Friction

Trump has had a love-hate relationship with the NFL over the years.

As a young athlete, he played high school football at New York Military Academy.
In the 1980s, he owned the New Jersey Generals in the United States Football League (USFL) and sued the NFL in an attempt to force a merger—a battle he ultimately lost.
During his first term as president, Trump clashed with the league over players protesting racial injustice by kneeling during the national anthem.

At a 2017 rally in Alabama, he famously said:

“Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, you'd say, ‘Get that son of a b*h off the field right now. Out! He’s fired!’”**

His harsh stance against anthem protests made him a polarizing figure in the NFL community.

Trump’s Super Bowl Prediction and NFL Ties

Ahead of the game, Trump made his Super Bowl pick, predicting that Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes would lead his team to victory.

“I guess you have to say that when a quarterback wins as much as he’s won, I have to go with Kansas City,” Trump told Fox News’ Brett Baier in a taped interview that aired before kickoff.

Despite his history with the league, some NFL team owners have been supporters of Trump, donating to his campaigns. He also maintains friendships with former football stars, including Herschel Walker and Doug Flutie, both of whom played for his USFL team.

Walker, who ran as a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Georgia in 2022, was endorsed by Trump but lost the race. Trump has since tapped Walker for an ambassador position in the Bahamas.

Trump’s Influence on NFL and Social Issues

Many believe that Trump’s presence at the Super Bowl played a role in the NFL’s decision to remove the “End Racism” slogans from end zones.

The NFL replaced the slogan with "Choose Love" in response to recent tragedies, including the New Year's Day attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people.
Alvin Tillery, a politics professor at Northwestern University, called the removal “shameful”, accusing the NFL of trying to please Trump.
However, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stated that the league’s diversity efforts remain unchanged, despite Trump’s recent executive order canceling federal DEI programs.

Trump's Policies and Sports Legacy

Trump’s influence on sports extends beyond football:

He owns multiple golf courses and regularly plays golf with sports legends—on Sunday morning, he played with Tiger Woods in Florida.
His Atlantic City casinos previously hosted boxing matches.
He has attended UFC events, including a Madison Square Garden fight weeks after winning his second term.
He recently signed an order restricting transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports, targeting federal funding for schools that do not comply.

Before the game, Trump released a statement praising Super Bowl athletes, saying:

"The coaches, players, and staff for the Chiefs and Eagles represent the hopes and dreams of our Nation’s young athletes as we restore safety and fairness in sports and equal opportunities among their teams."

Trump Watches Game With Republican Allies

Trump attended the Super Bowl alongside some of his closest Republican allies, including:

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Senator Tim Scott (R-SC)
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA)

During the national anthem, Trump saluted, a gesture that resonated with his conservative base.

Trump and the Future of Sports in Politics

Trump’s historic Super Bowl visit underscores his deep ties to sports, his rocky relationship with the NFL, and his influence on social issues in athletics.

With his football past, political influence, and active role in shaping sports policy, Trump continues to be one of the most controversial figures in the intersection of sports and politics.