For sixty minutes in February, the nation's top two teams battled for the right to call themselves 'Super Bowl Champions.'

The Super Bowl is more than a game, it's nearly a national holiday for sports fans. This past year, the New England Patriots faced the Philadelphia Eagles. After an exciting game, the Patriots fell short, losing 41-33.

As part of American sports tradition, championship teams are invited to the White House to celebrate their feats. However, in the past, teams and individuals have entirely opted out of the annual trip.

Since 2016, the National Football League (NFL) has been in and out of the news surrounding players' protest to the national anthem.

A couple of weeks ago, the league announced their new national anthem policy, stating that "all team and league personnel on the field shall stand and show respect for the flag and the Anthem." Furthermore, the policy notes that personnel who wish to not stand for the anthem may stay in the locker room, but that clubs will be fined if any personnel on the field does not stand for the anthem.

Similarly to the Golden States Warriors last year, the Philadelphia Eagles will not be visiting the White House due to the event being canceled altogether. After canceling the event, the White House Press Secretary issued a statement.

"Unfortunately, the Eagles offered to send only a tiny handful of representatives, while making clear that the great majority of players would not attend the event, despite planning to be in D.C. today. In other words, the vast majority of the Eagles team decided to abandon their fans."

As a result of this statement, several players on the Eagles roster have been deemed "anti-American," "anti-flag," or "anti-military," by some of the general public solely for not wanting to visit 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (ironic, I know). When in reality they donate to charities, mentor the youth, create scholarships, etc.

Philadelphia Eagles Cornerback, Malcolm Jenkins, a graduate of the Ohio State University and member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity began raising his fist during the national anthem to bring attention to rational inequality in 2016. In addition, he has spoken to legislators, written a piece in The Washington Post and to Commissioner Goodell defining his outlook on issues. Jenkins posted a tweet in response to the White House's decision to cancel the event. In the midst of the tweet his poses a simple question along with the answer.

"Simply google: 'How many Philadelphia Eagles knelt during the national anthem last season?' and you will find that the answer is zero. A similar google search will show you how many great things the players on this team are doing and continue to do on a daily basis."

Once the news broke that the Eagles would bypass the White House on their visit to Washington D.C., the NBA finals had begun. In a press conference prior to Game 3 in Cleveland, Lebron James stated that the 2018 NBA Champion would not attend the White House, regardless of the outcome. Warriors standouts Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant co-signed James' sentiments on the matter.

These current events have certainly caused an uproar. From some urging the players to "stick to sports" and others encouraging them to continue to help their communities and continue to be good advocates for the less fortunate, the general public is definitely split on the issue. With that being said, the National Football League and National Basketball Association are two of our country's biggest leagues. Will teams' lack of frenzy to visit the White House completely stop the tradition altogether?