As I told Txsleuth, I'm delighted someone commented on that story. I think it's heartwarming and am looking foward to seeing photos if the WH releases any. Does anyone know why LBJ didn't invite them to the WH back in 1966?
Perhaps because LBJ was a Texas Democrat -- an East Texas Democrat. Although he pushed Civil Rights a lot for the national scene with his Great Society programs, he soft-pedaled it at home where it was still a very touchy subject -- especially in east Texas. (That's mentioned in the movie.)Actually, it was George Bush, the father, who lost his Congressional seat in Houston because he voted for a Bill to nullify segregation in housing around that time. Houstonians didn't like that and voted him out of office as a result.
Or, perhaps the custom of champion teams visiting the WH hadn't started yet. Note the player who said, "Our team should have been the ones to start that tradition."
I do not even remember this team and this championship. I was busy raising 4 children under age 5, worrying about how to make my husband's paycheck stretch (Johnson told us all to eat black eyed peas and ham hocks, instead of steak every night) for all our needs, and watching the anti-war movement spin out of control in Bezerkley, CA. If this game was even on TV, we certainly didn't watch it in California.
This is a great movie, however, and I thoroughly enjoyed it -- especially the credits at the end where the real players appeared with additional commentary. Everyone should see it.
LBJ was not a warm and fuzzy kind of person. Plus the war protests and other things.