Today the majority of the Boston Bruins met with President Obama in the standard champions visit to the White House. Almost everyone was there, but notably missing was Tim Thomas.
Undoubtedly, Tim will face a bashing from the media, fans, and democrats all over the nation. But none of it will be deserved.
See, maybe this is just a rare case where an athlete understands that his influence on people goes far beyond what he or she does with a ball, puck or stick. Despite what Charles Barkley would like to think, athletes are role models no matter what. And worst of all, many look at athletes not just as role models on the playing field, but in real life as well.
If Tim Thomas went to the White House he would have no choice but to stand there with President Obama and smile, pose for pictures, and act like the best of friends with Big O. The problem is, he doesn’t agree with Obama. He doesn’t like Obama. He didn’t vote for him and if he had his way he’d be replaced faster than you can say Newt Gingrich.
…Still not getting it?... Ok, let’s enter a parallel universe.
Let’s say you just won the World Series in 2005. You are handed an invitation to the White House to visit President George W. Bush. The problem is you absolutely hate the man, and like most Americans you have the urge to punch him in the face rather than shake his hand. Do you go? Could you see yourself smiling with Bushy having a grand ole time for the entire voting nation to see?
Tim Thomas, like many Americans, might not agree with Obama’s actions over the last 4 years and when he casts his ballot he will likely vote for the Not-Obama option, and by doing so he adds his 1 vote to the pile. Yet, by choosing to sacrifice his personal visit to the White House he has sent a message: “I don’t have to like the President just because he’s in office. I don’t have to agree with it. I don’t have to suck it up and smile. I am a free voice and just like everyone out there I can make my own decisions.”
I don’t know about everyone, but to me that says more about Tim Thomas as a role model than his Goals Against Average or his playoff record.
…AND ANOTHER THING… why is it Tim Thomas gets grief for skipping the White House visit for his personal views but The White House itself can pick and choose who comes and sees the President (whoever he may be). Why? Because these visits are absolutely NOTHING but a PR campaign for the current President.
Win a gold Medal? The President calls. Win the National Championship? “It’s for you. It’s the President.” Fired your job? Hello Beer Summit! These calls don’t happen off the air. These visits don’t happen behind closed doors. They don’t turn the cameras off for these sorts of things because they make the President likable and relatable. These visits translate to votes. So if you don’t want the President to get votes off your success, why go?!
I would estimate based on NCAA Teams, Olympic Athletes, NBA, MLB, NFL, WNBA , NASCAR , etc… there are no fewer than 25 White House visits by sports teams. That means the President spends almost an entire month just hosting teams. Sure it only takes a few hours out of his day, but seriously? The economy blows. The Middle East sorta hates us. Our Debt is so bad our ratings are dropping world-wide… but let’s make sure I host a bunch of Canadians and Eastern Europeans to the White House so everyone knows I love hockey and hockey fans should vote for me.
This is not a Big O bash. This is an system issue. It’s no different for Obama as it was for Bush as it was for Clinton.
But if an athlete wants to make a statement and maybe the statement is stop wasting your time with me and fix this disaster we are in, good for them.
Good for you Timmy…and to everyone in D.: Back to Work!
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