The Seahawks were in the nation’s capital on Wednesday, being honored by the President for winning Super Bowl XLVIII.
But they didn’t forget their roots while in Washington D.C. and chose to share their celebratory honor with their fan base, the 12th Man.
Traditionally, when championship teams visit the White House, they pose for pictures with the President while holding a team jersey.
The Seahawks chose instead to honor their fans by posing with a “12” flag with President Barack Obama.
.@Seahawks skip tradition, have President @BarackObama pose with fan flag instead of team jersey. #SuperBowlChamps pic.twitter.com/GtwLNuDFov
— NFL (@NFL) May 21, 2014
The team later presented the flag as a gift to the President, which he accepted.
President Obama acknowledged how important Seattle’s fan base is to the team while talking during the ceremony, according to 710 ESPN’s Liz Mathews:
Obama: "We can't talk about the @Seahawks without talking about the 12th Man." #Seahawks
— Liz Mathews 🎃 (@Liz_Mathews) May 21, 2014
Many members of the Seahawks organization tweeted about the ceremony after it occurred:
Thanks to the President for a really special day for the Seahawks and the #12s! We were so honored to represent Seattle and #12s everywhere!
— Pete Carroll (@PeteCarroll) May 21, 2014
It was an honor to visit the @WhiteHouse and meet President @BarackObama with the @Seahawks. Read about our day at http://t.co/Sy3X5WS9eB
— DeShawn Shead (@dshead24) May 21, 2014
VIDEO @BarackObama honors #SuperBowlChamps at the @WhiteHouse [http://t.co/0pk9jyqIK0] pic.twitter.com/ZizVPAOFCT
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) May 21, 2014
Seattle’s fans believed in the Seahawks when no one else did and they cheered their team to the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory.
The 12’s love, honor and respect their football team. It was great to see their football team return the favor.