Thanks, Cubbies
President Obama welcomes Cubs and applauds sports’ ability to unite the country,
When President Obama welcomed the 2016 World Series champion Chicago Cubs to the White House on Monday, the outgoing commander in chief and the potential baseball dynasty intersected for one afternoon but created an atmosphere that transcended many other titlists’ Oval Office visits.
Obama, a former resident of Chicago, a one-time U.S. senator from Illinois and an avid White Sox fan, gave an entertaining speech, ribbing the team with one-liners while ultimately paying tribute to the Cubs’ success and accepting the standard team jersey.
But there was a part of his speech that brought a calming feeling across the room.
“Sports has the power to bring us together, even when the country is divided,” Obama said.
Obama noted that sports can speak to “something better in us,” before ending his speech by say- ing, “Sometimes it’s not enough to change laws, you have to change hearts. And sports has a way of sometimes changing hearts in a way that politics and business can’t.”
That sentiment holds true for what the Cubs were able to ac- complish in November. Over the decades, Cubs fans watched the NBA’s Bulls, NFL’s Bears, NHL’s Blackhawks and White Sox reach the pinnacle of their sports.
But after 108 years of torment and heartbreak, the Cubs curse was lifted in dramatic fashion in a seven-game World Series victory against the Cleveland Indians.
Hearts were changed in Chicago, but it didn’t just stop there.
Fans of other teams saw the Cubs come back from a 3-1 deficit vs. the Indians, a feat that seemed nearly impossible at the time, and gained hope that their team might be next.
“There’s never anything false about hope,” Obama said.
Obama received personalized home-and-away jerseys from the Cubs — co-opting first baseman Anthony Rizzo’s No. 44 — as well as a lifetime pass to Wrigley Field for him and his wife Michelle, a life-long Cubs fan.
The visit capped something of a winter-long victory lap for the Cubs, who report to spring training in less than a month.
“A mind once-stretched has a very difficult time going back to its original form. So you get in this moment right here and you want to do it again,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said.
“The moment you get into your comfort zone after having a significant moment in your life, you’re not wanting to grow. So I really want us to be uncomfortable and to continue on a pattern of growth.”
“Sports has a way of sometimes changing hearts in a way that politics and business can’t.” President Obama, during the Cubs’ visit to the White House on Monday