Trumpandsports

President Donald Trump said the standing ovation and cheers he drew when he took his seat at a UFC event in his home state of Florida were signs "we're doing a good job."

For Trump, then, sports are not just entertainment or policy – they are political infrastructure. They allow him to amplify grievances, mobilise identity, and project a vision of America rooted in toughness, discipline, and global visibility on his terms.

He also praised the Bills. But there was no mention of the Eagles thrashing the Washington Commanders earlier in the day. Philadelphia won the Super Bowl in 2018. That year Trump scrapped their invitation to the White House - an honor habitually afforded to the victorious team - after it became clear that almost none of the players or staff were... See more

“The infusion of sports culture and politics is a way that Donald Trump can demonstrate wins,” Rottinghaus adds. “It’s one thing to eliminate DEI at agencies in government that most people have never heard of, it’s another to get the NFL and individual teams to change the way that they message their product. That’s a different kind of win that’s... See more

In September 2024, Trump had posted “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” — coming days after Swift shared on Instagram that she intended to vote for Harris for U.S. president following Harris’ Sept. 10 debate victory over Trump. “I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them,” Swift wrote in... See more

“Has anyone noticed that, since I said ‘I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,’ she’s no longer ‘HOT?’” Trump wrote in a post Friday on his Truth Social platform. He provided no elaboration for the claim.

“President Trump loves a victory lap and this is certainly a victory lap over the NFL,” says Brandon Rottinghaus, a politics professor at the University of Houston and co-director of the Presidential Greatness Project survey.

Still, the slogan change and the president’s planned presence in the Caesars Superdome are conspicuous at a time when American sports appear to be following the corporate sector in adopting policies of appeasement or silence towards Trump, who has signed executive orders aimed at eliminating DEI initiatives in the federal government and... See more

What played out Sunday was a microcosm of Trump's presidency and his relationship with American sport. It's sportswashing, using these games to distract from the important matters of our times.