10 PICTURES SHOW DONALD TRUMP MAKING NFL HISTORY WITH MELANIA MYSTERIOUSLY ABSENT

Donald Trump was booed by fans at Northwest Stadium during halftime of the Lions-Commanders game (Image:Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

Donald Trump was in attendance at Northwest Stadium as the Washington Commanders took on the Detroit Lions, with fans making it clear what they think of the 79-year-old amid the government shutdown

Donald Trump was in attendance to watch the Washington Commanders take on the Detroit Lions, though First Lady Melania Trump was not with the president at Northwest Stadium.

Despite the American government being embroiled in a shutdown — the longest in U.S. history — due to Trump's standoff with Democrats. What's more, the 79-year-old was 80 minutes late to the matchup, which the Lions eventually won in a blowout over the Commanders.

Trump was also the first president in almost five decades to attend a football game, despite wanting the Commanders to name their new stadium after him. Richard Nixon first did so in 1969, with President Jimmy Carter attending another game some nine years later.

Of note, the first lady was not in attendance at Northwest Stadium, with the president being joined by the Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Commanders owner Josh Harris. With the 79-year-old watching the festivities, pictures of armed guards and security on the sidelines flooded social media.

What's more, Trump was booed heavily by fans at halftime when the president issued the Oath of Enlistment. Perhaps a reason for fans booing Trump is that the shutdown has also negatively affected the military, as evidenced by the NFL's "Salute to Service" featuring no military members.

Mirror U.S. Sports takes a look at the president's visit to Northwest Stadium to watch the Commanders' loss to the Lions.

Donald Trump arrives at Northwest Stadium

President Trump was in attendance to watch the Commanders take on the Lions with a number of Republican leaders, though First Lady Melania Trump was nowhere to be found

Fans' Differing Opinions on Trump

Fans closest to Trump seemingly were happy to see the president in such close proximity, with some reaching out to shake the 79-year-old's hand as he reached into the crowd

The President appears despite the shutdown

The United States is currently locked into the longest government shutdown in history, with the president's standoff against Democrats affecting almost every aspect of American life

Trump Issues Oath of Enlistment

While at Northwest Stadium, Trump issued the Oath of Enlistment at halftime to the newest members of the armed forces, which is the oath service members take when they join the military

The President's Men

Fans were able to watch the president at Northwest Stadium as he issued the Oath of Enlistment to the newest members of the armed forces, though the crowd gave different opinions

Trump Booed by the Crowd

As Trump was issuing the aforementioned oath, the fans in the stadium loudly booed the president, with various replays of the incident showcasing just how loud the crowd was

Trump Plays off Boos

Despite the heavy dose of boos aimed his way, Trump and those in the suite next to him, including Commanders owner Josh Harris, attempted to play off the incident by waving to the crowd

'It's Fun to Stay at the YMCA'

Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown (L) did Trump's infamous dance after scoring a touchdown in he first quarter of the game, though the president did not see it because he was late

It Takes Two

Commanders star tight end Ben Sinnott (C) also did the Trump dance after scoring a touchdown to cut the Lions' lead to 19 late in the fourth quarter with the game well in hand

Saluting the Commander in Chief

After scoring his own touchdown, Washington star wideout Deebo Samuel saluted the crowd, seemingly his way of celebrating with the president and those who took the Oath of Enlistment

- Jarrod Castillo

TRUMP ANNOUNCES WASHINGTON D.C. TO HOST 2027 NFL DRAFT

Reuters 

WASHINGTON - The National Football League will host its 2027 draft in Washington, D.C., U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday at the White House, bringing the league's biggest off-season event to the nation's capital for the first time since 1940.

The three-day event that regularly attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors is expected to take place on the National Mall, a stone's throw from the White House

"The draft is a celebration of one of our country's most cherished cultural institutions," said Trump, speaking from inside the Oval Office.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters he expects more than one million visitors at the 2027 draft, far more than the estimated record 775,000 who attended the 2024 edition in Detroit.

The announcement comes days after the Washington Commanders struck a deal with the District of Columbia to return to the site of the club's former RFK Stadium, where Washington played from 1961-1996 and enjoyed the most successful era in franchise history.

The new stadium is expected to open in the nation's capital in 2030.

Commanders owner Josh Harris, who agreed to buy the team in 2023 after a turbulent period under previous owners Dan and Tanya Snyder, was in attendance to present the U.S. president with a team jersey with "Trump" emblazoned on the back.

"You are the ultimate commander, so it is a Commanders jersey," said Harris.

The draft has rotated through multiple cities since the NFL ended New York's five-decade-long reign as host in 2015. The three-day 2025 draft was held last month at Lambeau Field, in Green Bay, Wisconsin, home of the Green Bay Packers, with next year's selection of college players joining the NFL to be held in Pittsburgh.

Reuters 

Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to attend a Super Bowl in February, where the crowd at the Superdome in New Orleans greeted him with a mix of cheers and boos, but he has a long and complicated history with the league.

Trump bought into the doomed upstart United States Football League in the 1980s and sought to have it compete directly with the NFL.

In 2017, during his first term in the White House, he spent weeks attacking the NFL over players who knelt during the pre-game playing of the national anthem in protest over police brutality and racial inequality.

Goodell, who stood next to Trump as the president addressed the media, in February had defied Trump's calls for private companies to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs, saying the league would continue its DEI efforts.

Trump's current term will overlap with several major international sporting events in the United States, with the Club World Cup set to take place in 11 U.S. cities from June 14-July 13.

The United States will co-host the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada, while the 2028 Summer Olympics are set for Los Angeles.

Reporting by Gram Slattery in Washington, D.C., writing by Amy Tennery in New York, Editing by Bill Berkrot

- Reuters 

76 OWNERS BUY 2,000 TICKETS FOR HONE PLAYOFF GANE. AIN FOR FEWER KNICKS FANS

AP Photo 

 PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers off-court strategy heading into Game 6 of their NBA playoff series is to keep New York Knicks fans out of Wells Fargo Arena on Thursday night.

Team owners Josh Harris, David Blitzer and David Adelman and former minority owner Michael Rubin joined forces Wednesday to buy more than 2,000 tickets they handed out to people who serve the Philadelphia community.

Wells Fargo Arena seemed more like Madison Square Garden South during the Knicks' 97-92 win in Game 4 on Sunday, prompting 76ers star Joel Embiid to express frustration about the home-court disadvantage.

On Tuesday, the 76ers won 112-106 in overtime in New York to cut their deficit to 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.

After the 2,000-plus Game 6 tickets were bought in bulk, Rubin announced on social media they would be given to first responders, health care professionals and other Philadelphia-based organizations.

Dawn Staley, coach of the NCAA champion South Carolina women’s basketball team and a Philadelphia native, also asked fans to not sell their tickets to Knicks fans.

“We need everybody’s support, man,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said.

NFL OWNERS APPROVE SELL OF COMMANDERS | FORMER OWNER FINED $60 MILLION

 

USA TODAY Sports 

National Football League owners have unanimously approved the sale of the Washington Commanders franchise to a group led by the co-owner of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL's New Jersey Devils, the league said on Thursday.

Financial terms of the deal to purchase the Commanders from Dan Snyder, who was fined $60 million by the NFL for workplace for misconduct after the approval was announced, were not disclosed. Several media reports said the deal was struck for an NFL-record price of $6.05 billion.