BY TREVOR SMART – FAN FUEL BLOGGER
It’s one thing to stick up for one’s convictions. It’s another to snub an apolitical honour from the leader of your country because you hold different beliefs.
The Boston Bruins gathered at the White House to be honoured by President Obama on Monday, but Tim Thomas refused to join his team due to his political convictions.
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What a silly reason.
I’m sure Thomas is not the only member of the Boston organization to not like Obama or agree with his politics, just as I’m sure there have been plenty of athletes who have disliked the President as well but attended their own ceremony regardless.
So why don’t we see other championship teams missing half their players when they attend? Because it is an honour to be invited by the President of the United States to his home so he can congratulate you personally.
There’s no politics to it. The leader of your country is honouring your accomplishments. That’s a nice gesture from anyone, let alone your nation’s President.
Even if you don’t like the guy, all you have to do is smile, shake hands, say thank you, and go home. Really, the worst part of the whole experience is watching a politician fumble over European names and trying to crack jokes about a sport he clearly does not follow.
Further, this was a ceremony honouring not just Thomas, but the team he is a part of. Thomas did a disservice to his teammates by refusing to attend a group function to honour their collective achievement. It was more important to him to make a personal statement rather than participate in the honouring of his teammates’ accomplishments.
He put himself above his team.
His immature act served no purpose anyway. This was a tradition, completely unrelated to politics of any sort. Don’t like your government? Fine. But just because you disagree with a man’s politics does not mean you can’t like him or at least accept his congratulations. The only message staying home sent was that Thomas is childish when it comes to politics.
Thomas’ refusal to attend the White House ceremony was selfish and disrespectful, stubborn and immature. He shook hands with his opponents, the Vancouver Canucks, after last year’s intense and often ugly playoff affair – how hard would it have been to shake the hand of his country’s President?
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