Sidney Crosby鈥檚 decision to go to the White House with the Pittsburgh Penguins has added to the heated debate about politics in sports.

U.S. President Donald Trump has used Twitter to attack professional athletes for kneeling during the national anthem to protest anti-black racism and police brutality.

Though the dispute began with the NFL, it has broadened out to other sports leagues. This past weekend, Trump singled out NBA player Stephen Curry for refusing an invitation to the White House.

The following day, Trump said the Pittsburgh Penguins had agreed to visit and called them a 鈥済reat team.鈥�

鈥淚 support it. It鈥檚 a great honour for us to be invited there,鈥� Crosby told reporters after the Penguins played the St. Louis Blues on Sunday night.

But for professor and Halifax poet laureate El Jones, Crosby鈥檚 decision is about more than sports and etiquette.

鈥淲hen people are saying this is an apolitical statement or doesn't mean anything, think about what Martin Luther King Jr. told us, that when you choose silence in this kind of situation you are choosing the side of the oppressors,鈥� Jones told CTV Atlantic.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a long history of black hockey here, so when we say Sidney Crosby is a Nova Scotian hero -- a hero for who? Who does he have a community responsibility for?鈥�

The upcoming visit would be the team鈥檚 third trip to the White House with the Stanley Cup since 2009.

Reaction was mixed in Crosby鈥檚 hometown of Cole Harbour.

鈥淚 was just surprised that they鈥檙e going,鈥� a local resident told CTV Atlantic. 鈥淚 figured all from different sports leagues would stay all together on it.鈥�

Paul Mason, a family friend who used to coach Crosby in his early years, said visiting the White House is 鈥渁bout a unique opportunity.鈥�

鈥淚 can tell by his words he is the ultimate team guy and his team has chosen to go, and he鈥檚 going with them,鈥� Mason told CTV Atlantic.

But for Percy Paris, a former politician, hockey player, and scout, the choice would be clear.

鈥淲ithout any hesitation, I would not be going to the White House,鈥� Paris told CTV Atlantic.

A member of Canada鈥檚 African-Nova Scotian community, Paris says that everyone has the right to an opinion, but visiting the White House is less about politics and more about social responsibility.

鈥淚 am not convinced this is so much all about politics, because I think there is a social impact here and I think that athletes, athletes that -- whether they like it or not -- they get paid millions and millions of dollars and they are role models for our youth.鈥�

With a report from CTV Atlantic