Trump’s UFC matches are unprecedented, but sports at the White House aren’t

U.S. newsTrump’s UFC matches are unprecedented, but sports at the White House aren’tFrom “Hoover-ball” to horseshoes, sports have long been a part of the White House, although there has never been anything like the live UFC event to be held Sunday.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00A Hoover-ball game on White House lawn in 1933.National Archives ShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 11, 2026, 10:03 AM EDTBy Phil HelselThe UFC matches to be held on the lawn of the White House on President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday are sure to be a spectacle unseen in the history of the storied complex.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The stage, which began being set up on the South Lawn in late May, features a 92-foot, 600-ton structure that has been dubbed “The Claw.” An event like UFC Freedom 250 is a first for the South Lawn, but sports, even exhibition matches, are not a totally foreign concept at the White House, although it was more modest.Work continues on a structure for the upcoming UFC fight as seen from the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., on May 31.Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty ImagesPresident Warren G. Harding and his wife invited tennis champions from the U.S. and abroad for a tournament, and Jimmy Carter was known for vigorous jogs. George H.W. Bush played horseshoes, including showing off for Queen Elizabeth II, and Dwight D. Eisenhower built a putting green on the South Lawn. Barack Obama expanded the White House tennis courts to allow an alternate use of full-court basketball. Perhaps the most similar to Sunday’s event and the presidency — in sport, not spectacle — is President Theodore Roosevelt, who famously enjoyed boxing in the White House gymnasium until he was injured.FORSUBSCRIBERS00:0000:00Are the UFC fights at the White House unprecedented?01:39“After a few years I had to abandon boxing as well as wrestling, for in one bout a young captain of artillery cross-countered me on...