Don’t Let Media Hacks Suck The Joy Out Of U.S. Hockey’s Wins
Shawn Fleetwood’s Federalist piece argues that the reaction from much of the media and left-leaning commentators to the U.S. men’s hockey team’s Olympic gold and their invitation to the State of the Union (SOTU) was driven by hostility to national pride and to then-President Trump. The article recounts the sequence: the men’s team defeated Canada for gold, Trump congratulated them and invited them to the SOTU; they visited the White House and attended the SOTU where trump awarded the goalie Connor Hellebuyck the Presidential Medal of Freedom. it notes that outlets such as The Athletic, the Toronto Star, and The Guardian criticized the team for associating with Trump and for the optics of the moment, including Democrats reportedly not clapping. The piece claims reporters pressed players with questions about the president’s remarks and suggests that the real issue is a broader left-wing efforts to dampen American joy and unity. Fleetwood concludes that the teams’ achievements deserve festivity and that the media’s backlash should not derail them. The article is written by Shawn Fleetwood, a staff writer for The Federalist.
Propaganda media are comprised of the most insufferable and miserable losers on the planet. And the recent manufactured “controversy” surrounding the U.S. men and women’s hockey teams really drives that point home.
In case you had better things to do than worry about what is perhaps one of the dumbest “news” cycles of the year (which is saying a lot), here’s what happened.
After following their female counterparts in defeating Canada to win the Olympic gold, the men’s team received an impromptu call from President Trump. The commander-in-chief congratulated the fellas on their well-deserved victory and, as a kind gesture, invited them to attend his State of the Union address, an offer the team eagerly accepted.
Members of the men’s team would go on to visit the White House and subsequently attend the State of the Union, where they received a shoutout from Trump and massive cheers from the audience (with the exception of numerous Democrats). The president also revealed that — following consultation with the team — USA goalie Connor Hellebuyck would be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his game-winning performance against Canada.
Like clockwork, so-called “defenders of democracy” leapt into action. From The Athletic (The New York Times’ sports division) to the Toronto Star, they ran articles attacking the men’s team for daring to accept a once-in-a-lifetime invitation from the leader of the free world to visit the White House and be featured guests at the State of the Union.
“The U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team won gold — and then lost the room,” the headline to Athletic writer Jerry Brewer’s column reads.
“The US men’s hockey team at the State of the Union showed proximity to Trump is never neutral,” echoes an article at The Guardian by Colin Horgan.
But the thing that’s really caused so many humorless media ghouls to go berserk is the part of Trump’s locker room call in which he joked that if he were to invite the men’s team to the SOTU, he’d have to invite the women’s as well.
“I must tell you, we’re gonna have to bring the women’s team, you do know that?” Trump said, prompting laughter from the team. “I do believe I probably would be impeached [if I didn’t], OK?”
Fake reporters have since badgered the men and women’s players about the president’s remarks, with the apparent goal of trying to bully the former into apologizing for accepting Trump’s SOTU offer and laughing at his joke. Of course, much of the moronic commentary and “questions” have lacked any mention of the members of the men’s team who can be heard saying “Absolutely!” and “Two for Two!” in response to Trump’s suggestion about inviting the women’s team.
With few exceptions, many members of both teams have brushed aside such embarrassing inquiries. Much like they did throughout the Olympics, the athletes have reaffirmed their support and admiration for one another.
But leave it to leftist and their media allies to try and foster division anyway.
The corporate press’s Trump hatred is certainly part of their motivations. The men’s team laughing it up with the president and meeting him at the White House humanizes him — and for a group of people who have spent the past decade calling him “Hitler” and a “Nazi,” that is simply unacceptable.
More to the point, what’s at the root of these sad sacks’ unhinged outburst goes back to the observation raised at the beginning of this article. That is, these left-wing activists are detestable people who hate America and demand others share in their misery. Hence, their compulsive need to suck the joy out of anything that paints the country in a positive light and brings Americans together around a common purpose.
Unfortunately for them, their little pity parade isn’t going to work.
What the U.S. men and women’s hockey teams accomplished is an incredible feat that is worth celebrating for months and years to come. And we’ll be damned if we’re going to allow a bunch of prima donna left-wing losers ruin that.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics and RealClearHealth. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
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