The 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team celebrated the 40th anniversary of their dramatic upset over the Soviet Union in Las Vegas last weekend, including an appearance at President Donald Trump’s campaign rally.
Of the 14 players to climb on stage with the president, 10 donned red “Keep America Great” caps, similar to the “Make America Great Again” hats that became popular during Trump’s victorious 2016 campaign and synonymous with him.
The team faced significant backlash online for the political display. But Mike Eruzione, the captain of the 1980 squad who scored the game-winning goal over the Russians, told the Washington Post the team was surprised by the reaction.
“If we knew we were going to piss off this many people, we probably would not have put the hats on,” Eruzione told the Post. “That’s the big question here. A lot of the stuff I got was, ‘You guys said it’s not political, but when you put the hats on, you made it political.’
“I told my wife, ‘People think we are a disgrace.’”
Eruzione said the team was in town to drop the puck at a Vegas Golden Knights game, but received a call from the Trump campaign to appear for a photo with the president. After the picture, Trump invited them to join him onstage.
“What are you going to say?” Eruzione told the Post. “To us it was, ‘Sure.’
“I just put (the hat) on. I wasn’t thinking. Maybe this shows I’m naive, shows I’m stupid. I don’t know. I don’t follow politics. I know he’s had some issues and said a lot of things people don’t like.”
Eruzione also told the Post he voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and voted for Trump eight years later.
This isn’t the first time a red Trump hat has led to uproar in sports. During the Washington Nationals’ White House celebration in November, Kurt Suzuki pulled out a “MAGA” hat when he stepped to the podium, and Trump then embraced him from behind.
Read more at usatoday.com
