For the first time since sports teams began travelling to the White House to celebrate their championships, the Chicago Cubs attended a ceremony at the historic mansion to be honored for their World Series title by President Barack Obama.
Naturally, the usual suspects were around, as players like Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, executives like Theo Epstein, and manager Joe Maddon were all in attendance for the ceremony, but former Cubs players and Washington dignitaries also made the event one of the most highly attended in recent memory.
From the Cubs, a trio of their Hall of Fame greats were in the crowd, as second baseman Ryne Sandberg, outfielder Billy Williams, and starting pitcher Fergie Jenkins at the ceremony honoring the 2016 squad.
Also in the crowd was fan favorite Jose Cardenal, who can claim one of the most famous people in America as his biggest fan: First Lady Michelle Obama.
“She made sure that Jose Cardenal was here. (He was) her favorite player,” President Obama said during his remarks. “Back then he had a big Afro, and he would wear his cap over the top of it. She used to wear her cap over her Afro too.”
The First Lady, who grew up a Cubs fan in Chicago, was not at the ceremony honoring the team, but she did meet with them beforehand, and the president said that it was a first for her during her time in the White House.
“In the eight years I’ve been here, we’ve hosted at least 50 teams. Michelle has never come to a single event celebrating a champion, until today,” he said. “She came in and shook hands and met everyone and told the story about what it meant for her to be able to see them win.”
Chicago Baseball
Plenty of other politicians were also in attendance, including Chicago mayor (and former White House Chief of Staff) Rahm Emanuel, former Obama adviser David Axelrod, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, and a large group of Congressmen from Capitol Hill.
There was even a big-time celebrity sighting, as legendary singer Jimmy Buffett made the trip to the White House for the memorable ceremony.
