WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Monday the Atlanta Braves will be “forever known as the upset kings of October” for their improbable 2021 World Series win, as he welcomed the team to the White House for a victory celebration.
Biden called the series an “unstoppable, joyful run.” The team got its White House victory visit in with just over a week left before the 2022 regular season wraps up and playoffs begin again. The Braves are just two wins behind first place in the National League East. Chief Executive Officer Terry McGuirk said he hoped they’d be back to the White House again soon.
In August 2021, the Braves were a mess, playing barely at .500. But then they started winning. And they kept doing it, clinching the World Series in six games over the Houston Astros.
Biden called their come-from-behind win one of “history’s greatest turnarounds.”
“This team has literally been part of American history for over 150 years,” said Biden. “But none of it came easy … people counting you out. Heck, I know something about being counted out.”
Players lined up on risers behind Biden, grinning and waving to the crowd, but the player most discussed was one who hasn’t been on the team in nearly 50 years and who died last year: Hall of Famer Hank Aaron.
Hammerin’ Hank was the homerun king for 33 years, dethroning Babe Ruth with a high flier to centerfield on April 8, 1974. He was one of the most famous players for Atlanta and in baseball history, a vocal and clear-eyed chronicler of the many hardships thrown his way — from the poverty and segregation of his Alabama youth to the racist threats he faced during his pursuit of one of America’s most hallowed records. He died in January at age 86.
“This is team is defined by the courage of Hank Aaron,” Biden said.
McGuirk said Aaron, who held front office positions with the team and was one of Major League Baseball’s few Black executives, was watching over them.
“He’d have been there every step of the way with us if he was here,” McGuirk added.
The president often honors major league and some college sports champions with a White House ceremony, typically a nonpartisan affair in which the commander in chief pays tribute to the champs’ prowess, poses for photos and comes away with a team jersey.
Those visits were highly charged in the previous administration. Many athletes took issue with President Donald Trump’s policies and rhetoric on policing, immigration and more. Trump, for his part, didn’t take kindly to criticism from athletes or their on-field expressions of political opinion.
Under Biden, the tradition appears to be back. He’s hosted the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks and Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the White House. Biden on Monday joked about first lady Jill Biden’s Philadelphia allegiances.
“Like every Philly fan, she’s convinced she knows more about everything in sports than anybody else,” he said. He added that he couldn’t be too nice to the Atlanta team because it had just beaten the Phillies the previous night in extra innings.