President Biden to invite numerous NCAA championship teams to White House for 'College Athlete Day'

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are reportedly going to invite dozens of NCAA championship teams across men’s and women’s sports to visit the White House for “College Athlete Day” on June 12, according to Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger. Georgia football has already declined an invitation to visit on that day.

This day will be on top of the planned visits for the men’s and women’s basketball national champions, UConn and LSU. Those teams are slated to visit the White House on May 26, still.

In recent years, declining to the presidential invite became a more regular occurrence. For a period, it was unclear if LSU would accept an invite to the White House this spring or summer after Jill Biden suggested that she also wanted the women’s runner up Iowa to also be invited. The Tigers will, in the end, travel to Washington D.C.

According to Dellenger’s report, dozens of teams are expected to attend the day. The NCAA has 90 championships that it awards across three divisions of competition.

An announcement from the White House with specifics is expected in the coming days, according to Dellenger.

Historically, the White House visit has been reserved for a select few college champions, namely those in football and men’s and women’s basketball. Professional sports champions from the NBA, NFL, NHL, WNBA and MLB have gone, too. The Little League World Series champions have also been invited, along with some select NASCAR and MLS champions along with several Olympians.

Now, a bevy of NCAA champions from across dozens of sports and three divisions will get a chance to visit 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and meet the president.

Georgia is turning down the White House invite due to a calendar quirk

Georgia announced on Tuesday they would not make a trip to the nation’s capital. Biden had invited the Bulldogs to visit on June 12 but it was declined. The date itself was used as the reasoning, with classes nor football practice being in session.

“Unfortunately, the date suggested is not feasible given the student-athlete calendar and time of year,” a statement from Georgia Athletics said. “However, we are appreciative of the invitation and look forward to other opportunities for Georgia teams moving forward.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2019 LSU Tigers were the last college football national championship team to visit the White House. They headed out east in early January, visiting President Donald Trump.

Alabama did not attend after their 2020 title and now, Georgia has not visited President Biden for their two consecutive wins.