The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Much praise, faint drama in LSU’S visit to White House
All of the past drama and sore feelings associated with Louisiana State’s invitation to the White House was seemingly forgotten or set aside Friday as President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden welcomed the championship women’s basketball team to the mansion with smiles, hugs and lavish praise all around.
The visit had once appeared in jeopardy after Jill Biden suggested that the losing Iowa team be invited, too. But none of that was mentioned as Biden heralded the players for their performance and the way they have helped advance women’s sports.
“Folks, we witnessed history,” Biden, said. “In this team, we saw hope, we saw pride and we saw purpose. It matters.”
The ceremony was halted for about 10 minutes after forward Sa’myah Smith appeared to collapse as she and her teammates stood behind Biden. A wheelchair was brought in and coach Kim Mulkey assured the audience that Smith was fine.
LSU said in a statement that Smith felt overheated, nauseous and thought she might faint. She was evaluated by LSU and White House medical staff and was later able to rejoin the team.
Since the passage of Title IX in 1972, Biden said, more than half of all college students are women, and there are now 10 times more female athletes in college and high school. He said most sports stories are still about men, and that that needs to change.
Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sex in federally funded education programs and activities.
“Folks, we need to support women sports, not just during the championship run but during the entire year,” Biden said.
After the Tigers beat Iowa for the NCAA title in April in a game the first lady attended, she caused an uproar by suggesting that the Hawkeyes also come to the White House.
LSU star Angel Reese called the idea “A JOKE” and said she would prefer to visit with former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, instead. The LSU team largely is Black, while Iowa is mostly white.
Nothing came of Jill Biden’s idea and the White House invited only the Tigers. Reese ultimately said she would not skip the White House visit. She and co-captain Emily Ward presented team jerseys bearing the number “46” to Biden and the first lady. Hugs were exchanged.
Jill Biden also lavished praise on the team, saying the players showed “what it means to be a champion.”
“In this room, I see the absolute best of the best,” she said, adding that watching them play was “pure magic.”
“Every basket was pure joy and I kept thinking about how far women’s sports have come,” the first lady added, noting that she grew up before Title IX was passed. “We’ve made so much progress and we still have so much more work to do.”
After Smith was helped to a wheelchair, Mulkey told the audience the player was OK. “As you can see, we leave our mark where we go,” Mulkey joked. “Sa’myah is fine. She’s kind of, right now, embarrassed.”
Biden closed sports Friday by changing to a blue tie and welcoming the Uconn’s men’s team for its own celebration. The Huskies won their fifth national title by defeating San Diego State, 76-59, in April.
• Haley Lee hit a grand slam, Cydney Sanders and Alyssa Brito each added a homer and top-ranked Oklahoma extended its softball winning streak to 47 with a 9-2 victory over Clemson in the opener of the Norman Super Regional.
Oklahoma (55-1) tied Arizona’s all-time Division I record of 47 straight wins — set in 1997. The Sooners seek to break the record today in Game 2 of the best-of-3 series with Clemson (49-11).
• Rose Zhang dominated amateur golf like no other female in the modern game. Now the Stanford star is ready to take on the best. Zhang announced she is turning pro, ending an amateur career in which the 20-year-old sophomore set the Stanford record with 12 wins — one more than Tiger Woods — in only 20 tournaments.
She won the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, her second straight NCAA title and was No. 1 in the amateur world ranking for 141 weeks, another record.
Cardinals release receiver Hopkins
The Deandre Hopkins era is over for
the Arizona Cardinals, who are on the hook for quite an expensive breakup.
The Cardinals released the three-time All-pro wide receiver in a salary cap move after they failed to find a trading partner in the offseason.
Arizona made the move three seasons after acquiring Hopkins in a blockbuster trade with Houston and eventually signing him to a $54.5 million contract extension through 2024. The soon-to-be 31-yearold Hopkins would have counted close to $31 million against the cap this season.
Hopkins — still one of the NFL’S elite receivers when healthy — is free to sign with any team. His 11,298 career yards receiving already rank 36th in league history.
Hopkins had 221 catches for 2,696 yards and 17 touchdowns in 35 games with Arizona. Hopkins never got on track in 2022, starting the year with a six-game suspension after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. The Cardinals finished with a 4-13 record, leading to the firing of coach Kliff Kingsbury.