Over the weekend, Donald Trump un-invited Steph Curry to the White House (Curry had already indicated he didn’t plan to attend a victory celebration there), advised NFL owners to respond to any player who follows Colin Kaepernick and kneels during the national anthem by firing the son of a bitch, and lamented the fact that pro football was doing so much (they aren’t) to protect players from head injuries – becoming the first world leader to come out in favor of brain damage. Unsurprisingly, America’s top athletes fired back at Trump – but at least in this case, he picked on people who don’t have nukes.

+ Warrior coach Steve Kerr (whose father was killed in a terror attack in the 80s): “In his tweet to Steph, Trump talked about honoring the White House but, really, isn’t it you who must honor the White House, Mr. President?”

+ On Sunday, NFL players, coaches, and owners engaged in various forms of protest to express unity in opposition to the president’s comments. On Monday, Trump informed the country (via Twitter) that the controversy that started when players kneeled to protest racism has nothing to do with race. He hammered home that point by following up his critique of NFL and NBA players with some praise for Nascar: “So proud of NASCAR and its supporters and fans. They won’t put up with disrespecting our Country or our Flag – they said it loud and clear!” Divide and Con is the new Divide and Conquer.

+ Jelani Cobb in The New Yorker: “It’s impossible not to be struck by Trump’s selective patriotism. It drives him to curse at black football players but leaves him struggling to create false equivalence between Nazis and anti-Fascists in Charlottesville.”

+ Here are a few quick thoughts from me on Trump vs your favorite athletes (and every American value you hold dear): The Curry of Your Convictions.