*This post doesn’t necessarily represent the views of FanSided or anyone attached to their organization. This includes those working at Pens Labyrinth other than myself.*
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Sunday they will be attending their White House visit as Stanley Cup champions.
Over the weekend, President Donald Trump lit the sports world on fire with a series of tweets and comments made at an Alabama rally. He first took back his pretty-clearly unwanted invitation to the White House from the Golden State Warriors after Steph Curry made one of the most relatable statements of all time (“I don’t want to go”).
Pittsburgh Penguins
Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team.Stephen Curry is hesitating,therefore invitation is withdrawn!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017
He then went after the NFL, calling for them to “fire or suspend” those who protest during the national anthem. Trump referred to a protesting player as an “SOB”. He asked for a boycott of the league until they take action against players kneeling during the anthem in protest. He finished by calling the league “soft”. This came after rule changes made to promote player safety when the NFL finally conceded that maybe concussions are horrifyingly bad for your health/overall life. So all in all a pretty classic couple days for President Trump.
If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our Flag & Country, you will see change take place fast. Fire or suspend!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017
This of course very reasonably triggered a number of peaceful protests. This, along with a number of statements from players, coaches, teams and owners from all over the sports world denouncing Trump’s stance and speaking to the issues surrounding their decision to protest. For those unaware (blissfully & happily I’m assuming), there is reportedly a large subset of the population who feel very passionately about Donald Trump’s agenda (seriously I’m pretty sure this is true unless people only go to his rallies ironically) and USA patriotism.
This same subset appears just as passionate about being completely unwilling/unable to understand the idea of peaceful player protests or the issues in our society they speak of. Based on a thorough examination of the comments section of any popular sports website that mentions Donald Trump, peaceful anthem protests or especially Colin Kaepernick (which in my opinion is the best way to get a pulse on society), these fans are upset, ready to boycott and looking for a team that better suits their ideals.
Enter the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Over the weekend, CEO David Morehouse decided to strike while the iron was hot. Sensing there were potentially hundreds of thousands of sports fans ripe for the plucking (that estimate intricately calculated using the likes on his tweets immediately above and below), Mr. Morehouse made sure his team was Trump-approved ASAP, publicly accepting his invitation for a White House visit and immediately drawing praise for the team from the Donald himself.
Please to inform that the Champion Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL will be joining me at the White House for Ceremony. Great team!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017
The Penguins are a savvy organization, as we all know. They have taken advantage of lesser used avenues. Such avenues as advanced analytics and dipping into the pool of college free agents in recent years with tremendous success. But they were in a tough spot this year and Morehouse knew it. A three-peat is a tall task in any sport. And even if they were able to do it, fans might jump aboard after #1, or maybe #2. But it’s unlikely after a third straight championship. This year had the makings of one in which in a best case scenario the fanbase would likely remain stagnant.
Then Morehouse saw the opportunity to add fans through an almost completely unheard of method; Knowingly and publicly admitting to want to go to the White House and meet Donald Trump. He went for it very swiftly, but time will tell if these fans truly will transition over. But the Pens definitely gave it their best shot during very tense times in the sports/political arena
Does the strategy make you nauseous? Sure. Hurts your heart a little bit? Definitely. But financially rewarding for the suits up top? Without question, as the savvy Pens strike again. Now lets all hope and pray someone takes a knee while they’re visiting before we officially receive the Trump seal of approval and are cursed for eternity.
Next: 5 Tips to Avoid Being Called a Bandwagon Fan
Do you think he’ll tweet at me and say I’m never invited to the White house if he reads this?