US President Joe Biden hosted the 2021 World Series champions the Atlanta Braves at the White House on Monday, saluting the over 150 year-old team for its "improbable" season.
"The Braves will be forever remembered for the unstoppable, joyful run that this team made last year," Biden said at the White House, recalling the long odds the team faced to reach the postseason, much less win the World Series.
"But the franchise never quit. Never gave in. You rebuilt the whole outfield practically overnight, play by play, inning by inning you ground it out and you did it together. You made the playoffs and you beat the Brewers and the Dodgers, and then you beat the Astros to win it all, forever known as the upset kings of October."
Presidents regularly host American sports champions from Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League. The visits were repeatedly the topic of controversy under former President Donald Trump, who assailed athletes who protest on-field.
Under Biden, the controversies have largely faded, and he has now hosted the Braves, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Braves are currently in second place in the National League East, but have clinched their playoff berth behind the New York Mets. The Braves are currently 1.5 games back with a chance to win the division before the postseason begins in October.
