Mon Sep 23 16:54:36 UTC 2024: ## Gotham FC, First NWSL Team to Be Honored at White House, Celebrated for Championship Win
President Joe Biden welcomed the 2023 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) champions, Gotham FC, to the White House on Monday, marking the first time in the league’s 11-year history that a team has received such an honor.
Biden highlighted the team’s remarkable turnaround, having risen from last place in 2022 to claiming the championship in 2023. He praised their resilience and their commitment to providing sports medicine and healthcare focused on women.
“A woman can do anything a man can do…including being president of the United States,” Biden stated, emphasizing the importance of representation at all levels. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, was also mentioned as a powerful example for women.
The ceremony featured a performance by a band playing “We are the Champions” as the team, staff, ownership, and NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman gathered in the East Room. Gotham’s trophy was proudly displayed, a testament to their hard-earned victory.
Biden accepted a team jersey from retired captain Ali Krieger and invited children in the audience to join the team on stage for a photo. He expressed his admiration for Gotham’s recent success and jokingly promised to attend future games, even though he won’t be president by then.
While a professional women’s soccer club was invited to the White House in 2010, it was a different league, the Women’s Professional Soccer, which preceded the NWSL. The winning team, Sky Blue FC, was later rebranded as Gotham.
First Piper 