President Trump is a Poor Sport

It comes as no surprise that President Trump would refer to free agent NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick as a son of a bitch nor is it a surprise that President Trump would publicly uninvite two time NBA MVP Stephen Curry after he indicated he would not attend a White House ceremony honoring the Golden State Warriors for their second NBA title in three years.

In both instances, President Trump has yet again demonstrated that he is a poor sport.

Like many people, I disagreed with Kaepernick taking a knee during the Star Spangled Banner last season. I don't see how taking a knee during the national anthem will do anything to stop police brutality or end racial inequality and I share Trump's view that Kaepernick was being disrespectful. Yet it is quite striking that Trump is angrier at Kaepernick for taking a knee than he is at white supremacists for taking a human life.

However, I do not believe Kaepernick should be deprived of earning a living as a quarterback if he is capable of performing as one nor do I think it is the place of President Trump to tell NFL owners to fire him or any player who takes a knee during the national anthem. Of course, the irony in Trump's comment is that the NFL owners have already effectively blackballed Kaepernick as he remains unsigned into Week 3 of the NFL season. Does Trump think Tom Brady is a son of a bitch for saying he hopes Kaepernick gets another shot to play in the NFL? President Obama didn't call Brady a SOB when he skipped the White House ceremony honoring the New England Patriots' Super Bowl XLIX victory.

As for Curry, President Trump is within his right to welcome or not welcome who he sees fit at the White House. Indeed, inviting championship sports teams to the White House is a relatively new tradition that began in earnest during the Reagan Administration. But now that Trump has made a point of publicly uninviting Curry, he has effectively uninvited the rest of his team. What member of the Warriors would set foot in the White House after Trump expressing his disdain for their team captain? Did President Obama diss the Boston Bruins after Vezina Trophy winning goalie Tim Thomas declined to attend the White House ceremony after their Stanley Cup triumph in 2011 on political grounds? Did President Reagan diss the Boston Celtics after Larry Bird said, "If the president wants to see me, he knows where to find me,"? Given all the problems we have with North Korea, Iran and ISIS, President Trump should choose his battles more wisely. But he never will.

How could he? Trump is not only a poor sport, but he is a sore winner. In his very first interview after being elected President, 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl asked him about his calls from the two President Bushes. Trump turned his focus on the Bush who didn't become President:

I went to war with Jeb. And Jeb's a nice guy, but it was a nasty campaign. It was a nasty campaign. And I mean, I'm disappointed in one thing. He signed a pledge and I don't know how you sign a pledge and then you don't honor it. 

Never mind that Trump repeatedly refused to support any GOP nominee not named Donald Trump while threatening to run on a third party ticket. Let us remember that Trump utterly humiliated Bush during the GOP primary debates, insulted his wife and landed a lethal blow in the South Carolina primary rendering him with 7.8% of the vote while Trump won all 50 delegates. And despite vanquishing the Bush Dynasty and rendering him but footnote in the 2016 campaign, Trump was still bitter at the former Florida Governor for not supporting him.

So whether its Colin Kaepernick, Stephen Curry or Jeb Bush, Trump believes he hasn't been treated fairly and lashes out. But when the game is over and the final score tallied, it is President Trump who knows nothing of fair play.