The Final State of the Union
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Summary:
President Obama welcomes the Seattle Seahawks to the White House in honor of their 2014 Super Bowl win -- the first championship in the team's 38-year history.
Today, President Obama welcomed the Seattle Seahawks to the White House in honor of their Super Bowl win this past season – the first championship in the team's 38-year history.
As the President noted in his remarks, the Seahawks were tied for the best record in the regular season, and the team's "suffocating defense" led the NFL in points allowed, yards allowed, interceptions, and takeaways. It also led to the team's 43-8 rout in the Super Bowl over the Denver Broncos, who had the highest-scoring offense of any team in the regular season.
But the President also explained how the Seahawks are making just as strong of an impact off the field – whether it's quarterback Russell Wilson visiting kids at the Seattle Children's Hospital every single Tuesday, or coach Pete Carroll helping at-risk youth steer clear of drugs and violence through his "A Better Seattle" and "A Better LA" organizations.
"That spirit of working hard and giving back has endeared this team to its fans in a way few cities can replicate," the President said.
And the Seahawks fans – known as "the 12s," because a football team only has 11 players on the field at a time – played an undeniable role in the championship run as well, setting two Guinness World Records last season for the loudest crowd noise at a sporting event.
"So congratulations to the 12s, congratulations to the players, the coaches, the staff, the owners," President Obama said. "Congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks and the whole city for an outstanding season."
