President Joe Biden was giving a speech to Native American groups in D.C. for the “White House Tribal Nations Summit,” and during the speech, Biden rambled about his youth sports experience, particularly lacrosse, and jokingly told the audience not to laugh in a somewhat awkward moment.
That moment came when President Biden was speaking about preserving Native American cultural heritage, and gave the example of preserving lacrosse, which was originally a Native American sport but has survived to the modern day in a modified form.
Speaking on the across and cultural heritage issue, President Biden said, “Folks, at the same time, we’re helping to preserve cultural heritage like Tribal languages and sports. Sports like lacrosse. Joining us today are members of the Six Nations Confederacy who — which in- — by the way, where are you guys? Stand up. Come on. Which invented lacrosse nearly a thousand years ago. The game brought Tribes together, a force for peace, friendship, and healing. The Six Nations players are still among the very best in the world.”
He then tried to make himself relatable by bringing up his connection to across and his daughter’s success as a lacrosse player, saying, “And as a point of personal privilege, I know about this because I went to Syracuse University, long the home of a powerhouse lacrosse program. And I might add, my daughter was a first-rate lacrosse player in high school, and my niece was an All-American lacrosse player at Harvard [in high school], so we have a little knowledge of lacrosse in our family.”
Biden then commented on why he didn’t end up playing lacrosse, saying, “I wanted to play lacrosse, but you had to choose between lacrosse and football. You couldn’t play both in the same season. And since I was a powerful six-foot, 158-pound — flanker back — I was the runner-up at state scoring championship. Don’t laugh, man.” The crowd laughed. Watch the moment here:
Continuing, President Biden then continued rambling about lacrosse, saying, “This fall, it was announced that lacrosse will once again be an official Olympic sport. And the Six Nations team asked to compete under its own Tribal flag. And today, I’m announcing my support for that request. Their ancestors invented the game. They perfected it for a millennia. Their circumstances are unique, and they should be granted an exception to field their own team at the Olympics.”
He then switched to talking about trying to “heal the wrongs of the past,” saying, “Let me close with this. It’s hard work to heal the wrongs of the past and change the course and move forward. But the actions we’re taking today are key steps into that new era of Tribal sovereignty and self-determination — a new era, grounded in dignity and respect, that recognizes your fundamental right to govern and grow on your own terms. That’s what this summit is all about. Excuse me. That’s what this summit is all about. So, I want to thank you all for being here, allowing me to be with you. And I look forward to continuing our work together.”
