President Donald Trump announced an end to his immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota last week, but a top German soccer team still canceled a planned trip to Minnesota to protect its members.
Through the club’s head of communications Christoph Pieper, the team called Werder Bremen said in a statement that “playing in a city where there’s unrest and people have been shot, that does not fit with our values here at Werder Bremen,” according to Politico.
He added that “it was unclear for us which players could be able to enter the United States due to the stricter entry requirements.” Yet on top of this, the club also found Trump’s policies inconsistent with their values of “ensuring that all people — regardless of their origin, skin colour, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or disability — are naturally included and have a firm place in our community.”
Werder Bremen, which has won four German championships, is one of the most outspokenly progressive clubs in Europe, even leaving X for Bluesky in 2024 because they saw “hate speech, hatred towards minorities, right-wing extremist posts and conspiracy theories” had “been allowed to spread on X at an incredible pace.”
Other athletes have spoken out against Trump’s Minnesota occupation. Indiana Pacers player Tyrese Haliburton posted on X shortly after that “Alex Pretti was murdered” by the border patrol agents who shot him while he protested. Ex-Seattle Seahawks star Doug Baldwin, who once called Trump “an idiot, plain and simple,” asked “How could you not be upset? I mean, no matter where you land on the political spectrum, I would hope that human decency would consider the human toll of these situations.
Baldwin added, “… We shouldn’t be surprised though. Human history is riddled with our struggle to live on this planet together. History also gives us a blueprint of how to combat these challenges. In my humble opinion, love, discipline, and endurance towards the struggles currently, and the ones that may or may not come, is what will be necessary. Our ancestors did it, and so I know we will as well.”
Trump has lashed out at many of his athlete critics, including freestyle skier Hunter Hess. Trump called Hess a “loser” after Hess criticized Trump’s immigration policies.
“If it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I’m representing it,” Hess said at the time. “Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.” After Hess qualified during a major event, he flashed an “L” sign with his hand and explained it was a reference to Trump.
“I worked so hard to be here,” Hess said. “I sacrificed my entire life to make this happen. I’m not going to let controversy like that get in my way. I love the United States of America. I cannot say that enough.”
He added, “My original statement, I felt like I said that, but apparently people didn’t take it that way. I’m so happy to be here, so happy to represent Team USA.”
Trump world at large has also shown an intolerance for athletic criticism. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) wants to strip American athletes of their uniforms if they speak negatively about the current government.
"Any person who goes to the Olympics to represent the United States and then says they don't want to represent the United States should be immediately stripped of the Olympic uniform," Scott said in a video statement.