In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt invited naturalist John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club, to be his guide for his famous camping trip through Yosemite National Park. Muir was about to decline when a friend warned him that one must always accept the president's invitation.
Muir was offended by this notion, because it seemed to treat the president like a king. In the end, Muir decided to make the journey after all: "I suppose I shouldn't refuse just because he happens to be president," he said.
This apocryphal quote, from a 1924 account by journalist Bailey Millard, came to mind after three members of the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins chose to boycott a White House ceremony honoring the football team.