A photo meant to honor the University of Georgia women’s tennis team at the White House ended up backfiring fast. The image shared by a White House staffer showed Donald Trump front and center alongside other men, with the actual athletes barely visible in the background.
The photo was posted to X by White House aide Margo Martin on April 22, captioned “Congratulations, Georgia Women’s Tennis!” according to Raw Story. Critics immediately pointed out that the athletes being celebrated were practically invisible behind the group of men standing in front of them.
“Who is being celebrated in this picture? Usually puts the focus of the picture front and center, not hidden behind the dude bros,” one user named Winston Smith wrote in response to the post. Another commenter put it bluntly: “Of course they put the women in the back. Just like the misogynistic a–holes they are.” A third user wrote, “Where are the women? Oh, there they are, in the back of the bus, behind the white men.”
Georgia Bulldogs were there for a real achievement
The backlash came on the same day the University of Georgia tennis program received national recognition for a legitimate championship run. Fox 5 Atlanta reported the Bulldogs were honored at NCAA Collegiate National Champions Day at the White House after winning the outdoor national title over Texas A&M in Waco, Texas. It was the program’s third title overall and its first outdoor championship in years, with the team set to head into the upcoming NCAA tournament with postseason play beginning in May.
The White House event on April 21 brought over 100 college athletes from seven championship programs to Washington. The full lineup included Oklahoma State men’s golf, Texas A&M women’s volleyball, Wake Forest men’s tennis, Georgia women’s tennis, Youngstown State women’s bowling, West Virginia mixed rifle, and Florida State women’s soccer. Two high-profile winners were notably absent: the UConn men’s basketball team and UCLA’s women’s basketball team, the 2026 March Madness champions. UCLA players had revealed earlier in April that they never received an invitation.
Trump used the event to push college sports policy
Beyond the photo controversy, Trump made the ceremony about something larger than the championships themselves. Speaking at the White House, he warned that the United States risks losing competitive athletes on the world stage without new regulations protecting non-revenue college sports. Trump is also teasing new information about UFO files and recently made headlines for a very different reason, after agreeing to read scripture days after angering Christians online.
“75% of Olympians competing for Team USA played as college athletes. If we don’t straighten out this, we’re not going to have much of an Olympic team,” Trump said at the ceremony. He also signed an executive order earlier this month aimed at protecting women’s and Olympic sports, limiting eligibility to five years, and restricting pay-for-play arrangements. Parts of the order may face legal challenges, which is why Trump and some college sports stakeholders are pushing for federal legislation to back it up.
The Georgia women’s tennis players showed up to be celebrated. Whether the photo actually did that is a different question entirely.
