TAMPA, Fla. — Editor's Note: The video above is from May 2021.
The reigning Super Bowl champions are heading to the White House.
Sources confirm to 10 Tampa Bay that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will visit the White House Tuesday in Washington, D.C. More information is expected to be released soon.
Earlier this year, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters the championship team would be invited once it's "COVID safe."
A trip for major league sports' top-performing teams to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is a presidential tradition that dates back 150 years, according to ESPN.
President Jimmy Carter was the first U.S. president to welcome an entire Super Bowl championship team to the White House in 1980 when the Pittsburg Steelers celebrated their fourth title.
The practice later became an annual occurrence with the exception of a handful of years, according to NFL records.
As for Tampa Bay area sports teams? The Bucs will be the first to mark a major victory with a presidential visit.
The Iraq War prohibited the team's 2003 Super Bowl victory visit, according to several reports. And while the Tampa Bay Lightning have claimed three Stanley Cup titles, COVID-19 in 2020 and a lockout in 2004 kept the team from ever getting to visit.
An invitation from the White House has yet to be sent to the Bolts for the team's 2021 Stanley Cup championship in July.
The Buccaneers marked several major milestones with their 31-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LV. One of which was becoming the first team in NFL history to not only play a Super Bowl in their home stadium but win it. Not to mention, the team won in their house, during a pandemic and at a time when sports in Tampa Bay started to come alive.
'Champa Bay' has a nice ring to it. And who knows, with the Buccaneers returning all 22 starters the White House might need to save a spot for the Tampa team next year.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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