Story highlights Amy Bass: Those who object to mixing of politics and sports overlook fact that the two have always been intertwined

New England Patriots players aren't the only athletes objecting to the Trump agenda, she writes

Amy Bass is a professor of history at the College of New Rochelle and has written widely on the cultural history of sports, including the book "Not the Triumph but the Struggle: The 1968 Olympics and the Making of the Black Athlete." Follow her on Twitter @bassab1. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

(CNN) It was tough to separate the snow from the confetti in Boston on Tuesday, but the New England faithful didn't care -- they cheered as the wind swirled, chanting "BRADY!" and "TB12!" at the sight of the Vince Lombardi trophy bestowed on their Super Bowl-winning Patriots.

Since 1886, when New Yorkers impulsively threw ticker tape out windows along Broadway at a parade honoring the dedication of the Statue of Liberty, cities have welcomed home dignitaries, astronauts and championship teams with parades like the one this week in Boston. The parades celebrate sports, but more than that, they express pride of city, region, and country.

Amy Bass

A visit to the White House by the champions is usually the next step, one taken by iconic athletes and teams before them.

Now, however, at least three members of the Patriots have said they won't go to the White House to meet President Donald Trump. Defensive back Devin McCourty and tight end Martellus Bennett, both of whom were supportive of Colin Kaepernick's national anthem protest throughout the regular season, declared they would not accompany their teammates for the ritual photo-op with the president.

McCourty told Time he didn't "feel accepted in the White House." They were followed by Pro Bowl linebacker Dont'a Hightower , who visited the White House when his University of Alabama team won a national championship but says he will decline this time.