Ladies First? LSU Women Secure White House Invite, But Georgia Football, Houston Astros Are Still Waiting

Say what you want about first lady Jill Biden's lack of understanding of sports.

"I'm going to tell Joe I think Iowa should come, too, because they played such a good game," President Joe Biden's wife Jill said after watching the LSU women's basketball team win the national championship on Sunday in Dallas.

Good game? LSU beat Iowa 102-85 and led by double digits for most of the fourth quarter. So, participation trophies at the White House?

But at least she got the ball rolling, which is more than we can say about the President. After Mrs. Biden and her spokesperson Vanessa Valdiva walked back those comments and clarified that only LSU will be invited, the President confirmed the invite.

"I look forward to welcoming them at each of their White House visits," Mr. Biden tweeted this week, inviting both the LSU women and the men's national champion Connecticut Huskies. UConn blew away San Diego State Monday night in Houston.

Great. But what about the national champion Georgia football team, Mr. President? You actually owe the Bulldogs two invites. Georgia won the 2021 national title, but did not get an invite to the White House because of COVID issues. That's understandable. But Georgia won the title again in the 2022 season last Jan. 9, and is yet to receive an invite.

What gives? Biden won the state of Georgia in the 2020 presidential election. He lost Louisiana to Republican incumbent Donald Trump.

Has White House Forgotten About Georgia?

People think Georgia's football team got an invite, but technically that has not happened yet. There were widely circulated stories of an invite on Feb. 22.

"The President looks forward to welcoming the Georgia Bulldogs to the White House," a still-unnamed White House official told the Athens (Georgia) Banner-Herald. And national publications picked the story up.

But that Athens Banner-Herald story ended with another quote.

"We have not heard from the White House at this point," a Georgia athletic department spokesperson said.

Six weeks later, and still Georgia has not heard from the White House about an official invite or a date.

Georgia associate athletic director for communications Claude Felton, who has been at Georgia since 1979, knows most everything that happens there. And he told OutKick at the Final Four in Houston last week that Georgia still had not heard from the White House about a visit.

Reached at his office Thursday, Felton repeated, "Georgia has not received an invite to the White House yet. Correct. We have not heard from the White House."

What Is Taking Joe Biden So Long?

Congressman Earl. L. "Buddy" Carter, a Republican from Georgia, has spearheaded the efforts to get the Georgia football team an invite from Biden without anything yet.

"We have no reason to believe they won’t be invited and hope the invitation comes sooner rather than later for this deserving team," a Carter spokesperson told OutKick Friday afternoon.

Biden tweeted congratulations after Georgia's win over TCU, but no word of an invite, as with the LSU women.

And as of Friday afternoon, LSU had not heard from the White House on an official invite or a date.

"We have not," LSU associate athletic director for communications Michael Bonnette told OutKick on Friday.

It's still early for the LSU women, yes. They just won it all last Sunday, but there seems to be a disconnect at the White House on following through with these invites. Yes, there are more important matters. But how hard could this be?

And Kim Mulkey is going to need time to decide what to wear, for crying out loud?

The 2022 World Series champion Houston Astros have also not yet visited the White House or been publicly invited after winning their title on Nov. 5. Biden did not win Texas in the 2020 election. The Astros did visit the White House and then-President Trump on March 12, 2018, after their 2017 title.

Several college and pro championship teams did not visit the White House after the COVID wave in early 2019. But they are starting to happen again. Biden honored the 2021 World Series champion Atlanta Braves at the White House, but not until Sept. 26, 2022 - nearly a full year after the Braves won it all. And the 2022 NBA champion Golden State Warriors this past Jan. 18.

So, maybe the wheels of congratulations are just slow.

Georgia officials, though, thought their day would have already happened.

Donald Trump Was Much Quicker Than Joe Biden

If the LSU women's basketball team does visit, it will mark the second national champion LSU team to go to the White House since 2020. Trump wasted no time in scheduling the LSU football team after it won the national championship on Jan. 13 in New Orleans. The Tigers visited the White House just four days later.

And the White House has hosted two teams before in a national championship celebration, but not exactly how Jill Biden first said she wanted. After the 2003 college football season, President George W. Bush honored LSU and USC at the White House. But each team won national championships that year without playing one another. The Associated Press media poll voted the Tigers No. 1, while the USA TODAY coaches poll voted the Trojans No. 1.

Iowa would have been the first non-national champion honored at a national champion celebration, if and when that happens.

But Iowa does deserve some recognition from LSU, particularly star player Angel Reese, who taunted Clark specifically as the LSU-Iowa game ended and for several seconds after. That was rare, by the way. Taunts tend to happen during games, not after, particularly in national championship games or the Super Bowl or the final game of the NBA Playoffs or World Series. At that moment, winning players tend to celebrate with their teammates - not rub it in to an opponent.

LSU's Angel Reese Should Have Thanked Caitlin Clark

What Reese should have done was thank Clark, then celebrate with her team.

If Clark doesn't score 41 points with five 3-pointers, eight assists and six rebounds, does Iowa upset 36-0 South Carolina last Friday night at the Final Four in Dallas? Probably not. And if Iowa doesn't beat South Carolina, LSU's chances of winning the national championship would have been greatly diminished. South Carolina blew LSU away on Feb. 12, 88-64.

I would have liked to have seen what LSU coach Kim Mulkey would have tried in a rematch with South Carolina, but LSU matched up better with Iowa. LSU fans know this, whether they care to admit it or not. When South Carolina fell, LSU suddenly had new hope.

So speaking for Angel Reese, thank you Caitlin. And then maybe, she can send her a postcard from D.C.