Athletes should not be faulted for expressing political views, Matt Schlapp, chair of the Conservative Political Action Conference, told Newsmax on Friday.
He said that "free speech rights" apply whether teams or individuals choose to participate in White House events or decline to do so.
"If an athlete doesn't want to go to the White House, guess what? They have free speech rights, too," Schlapp told "Ed Henry: The Big Take" when asked about controversy involving the 2026 men's Olympic gold medal hockey team attending Tuesday's State of the Union address.
"They got a right to have their political views."
He acknowledged the optics when a team declines to appear, but said the deeper issue is the way politics has seeped into sports.
"When a team doesn't come, I think that's when we're getting to this point where we've allowed this disgusting poisoning of our politics to get into our pastimes," Schlapp said. "Sports is a pastime.
"It is not politics."
In the same breath, he emphasized that athletes still bring personal beliefs with them, saying teams "are made up of people with political views."
Pressed on what, in his view, should happen after a championship or major win, Schlapp leaned on tradition and public ceremony.
"When teams win, no matter who the president is, someone ought to show up and do the PR," he said.
Symone Sanders, who worked for Joe Biden's 2020 campaign and later served as a senior adviser and chief spokesperson to then-Vice President Kamala Harris, criticized the players for visiting the White House and described them as "political props," ESPN reported.
Sanders said the players "allowed themselves to be used as political props."
President Donald Trump invited the men's team to the State of the Union address and joked about also inviting the women's team to the White House.
Hilary Knight, the women's team captain, called the remark a "distasteful joke."
The president's comment during the call about also inviting the women's team, along with the men's laughter, was captured on video and widely shared, prompting criticism from some who said it diminished the women's achievement.
Knight, speaking Wednesday on ESPN's "SportsCenter," called the joke "distasteful" and said the men's team was "in a tough spot."
"I think this is just a really good learning point to really focus on, you know, how we talk about women," she said.
"Women aren't less than, and our achievements shouldn't be overshadowed by anything else other than how great they are."
Schlapp told Newsmax that the healthiest outcome is to keep the civic ritual without turning it into a test of loyalty, saying athletes "got every right" to their views, while maintaining that "no matter who the president is," teams should "show up and do the PR."
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight’s special series and President Trump’s comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.