Should the Knicks Wear Tan Suits to the White House? This Fan Group Says Yes
In an op-ed first published by Black Press USA, staff writer Greer Marshall makes the case for the Tan Suit Champs, a Knicks fan collective pushing the team to visit the White House in matching tan suits as a nod to Barack Obama's famous 2014 tan suit controversy. Marshall argues the idea, complete with merchandise and the slogan "Yes We Tan," is a perfect thesis statement for a Knicks team that turned doubt into a championship.
And I think it’s a brilliant idea.
The New York Knicks won a championship, which is itself so improbable that we’re all still adjusting to the fact that it exists. Respectfully. But a fan collective called the Tan Suit Champs is not content with their victory. They want something more audacious. They want the team to show up at the White House in tan suits. They’ve put out a poll for fans to vote on, but perhaps even you, the non-fan, should consider weighing in.
This would be a ludicrous idea if it weren’t, in a weird way, perfect. An idea inspired by an iconic moment of political absurdity in August 2014, when President Barack Obama wore a tan suit during a White House press briefing. Specifically, CNN and Fox News both lost their minds. Grown men questioned whether the Republic could survive a President wearing a tan jacket. The backlash was so utterly unhinged from anything real that it turned the suit into a symbol of something far more interesting. The tan suit worn by America’s first Black president became a meme and now has an affectionate meaning. I guess in 2014, Obama’s confidence was his real superpower.
This brings me back to the Knicks. Confidence. That’s what defined them. Being underestimated and still winning. The tan suit, in this context, is actually a thesis statement that says, “You doubted us. You were wrong. So we’re going to walk into the White House looking fabulous while you settle in.”
“New Yorkers know how to turn criticism into a championship mindset,” a Tan Suit Champs spokesperson told me. The slogan is “Yes We Tan,” a riff on Obama’s campaign phrase, and, of course, in street-team fashion, there’s a merchandise campaign. There always is. Tan Suit Champs is selling mugs, t-shirts, and magnets featuring an AI-generated image of the Knicks starting five in matching tan suits. It’s admirably on-brand in this fandom and politics moment.
But here’s the thing about this absurd endeavor. These fans are serious about the idea that the Knicks should show up at the White House in tan suits. They believe it would be not only meaningful but also hilarious AF. Which reveals yet another point about New York fan pettiness that dead-up defines politics and entertainment right now. I’m not naming names. Or I could just be overthinking. Either way, a group of fans wants the Knicks to wear tan suits to the White House. Is it silly or genius? Take the poll.
This op-ed appeared first in Black Press USA.
Greer Marshall is a Staff writer for Black Press USA.