Donald Trump leveraged the US men's national hockey team's Olympic gold medal win at his State of the Union, using them as political props and announcing a Medal of Freedom. The article dissects how Trump politicizes sports, demanding loyalty from athletes, and connects his hockey rhetoric to broader geopolitical tensions with Canada, including threats to the sport itself. It also highlights divisions, with some men's players absent and the women's team declining their invitation, underscoring that in Trump's era, every athletic appearance is a political statement.
During Tuesday’s State of the Union, Donald Trump welcomed the US men’s national hockey team, who had just defeated Canada for a Winter Olympics gold medal, to the House gallery, announcing that goaltender Connor Hellebuyck would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Trump used the team as 'props,' declaring 'Our country is winning again' to 'prove that point.' The event underscored the intense politicization of sports under Trump. Earlier, a video of Trump inviting the team to the White House, with a controversial remark about 'bringing the women’s team,' sparked backlash, though player Jack Hughes defended the team's excitement to attend, citing patriotism. The article argues that 'everything is political' with Trump, turning sports into a battleground for loyalty. It details Trump's history of using hockey in his rhetoric against Canada, linking it to trade disputes, threats of annexation, and even speculating about China 'ending ice hockey' and 'eliminating The Stanley Cup' if Canada doesn't comply with his demands, framing it as a matter of hierarchy. This politicization was evident in the team itself: a handful of men's players were absent from the SOTU, and the entire US women’s national team explicitly declined their invitation, understanding that attendance is an affirmation of loyalty. The article contrasts this with Trump's public rebuke of American freestyle skier Hunter Hess for expressing a nuanced view on representing the US amidst immigration crackdowns. The piece concludes that in Trump’s America, athletes are expected to prove their loyalty to the country and to him, or face public condemnation.
