Skip Bayless Slams Jill Biden for Inviting Iowa Women’s Team to White House: ‘So Wrong on So Many Levels’

Ahmad Austin Jr.Apr 4th, 2023, 12:39 pm
 

Skip Bayless had strong words for First Lady Jill Biden after she suggested both Iowa’s women’s basketball team should join LSU for its eventual trip to the White House.

Trips to the White House have been a tradition for American sports teams since the 19th century. They serve as a congratulatory gesture from the sitting president whenever a team wins its league championship.

On Tuesday’s episode of Undisputed, Bayless said extending the invitation to the losing team would be “so wrong on so many levels.”

“It’s close to being a Saturday Night Live skit, it’s so bad” Bayless said.  “It’s so sad, it’s funny sad. It’s gonna be a skit. They might just lead the show with it on Saturday night.”

The first lady made the suggestion after she attended the NCAA women’s national championship. The game boasted record-setting viewership and has been widely regarded as a significant leap forward for the popularity of women’s basketball. As expected from the winning team of such a historic game, Angel Reese wasn’t a fan of the suggestion.

Bayless disputed the first lady’s notion that Iowa deserved to go to the White House.

“She says, ‘I’m gonna tell Joe (Biden) I think Iowa should come too because they played such a good game,'” Bayless said. “No, they got their butts kicked. They got their butts kicked.

“From start to finish, LSU controlled the basketball game.”

He also emphasized that the trip is for winners and not just championship participants.

“Because this was such a ratings bonanza, it felt like women’s basketball had arrived,” Bayless said. “Again, it’s about equality and parity and I think the women have earned the right to be treated just like the men. So you don’t need to pat the Iowa women on the head and say, ‘Oh, you poor girls. Why don’t you come to the White House, too?'”

Vanessa Valdivia, the first lady’s press secretary, seemed to imply Tuesday that LSU will be the only team going to the White House after all.

“Her comments in Colorado were intended to applaud the historic game and all women athletes,” she said on Twitter. “She looks forward to celebrating the LSU Tigers on their championship win at the White House.”

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