Obama Honors WNBA Champs in White House Visit

WNBA champion Phoenix Mercury team has joined the ranks of the sports teams that have been personally honored by President Barack Obama.

The team was recognized by Obama in a White House visit Monday for its 2009 championship season. The Mercury defeated the Indiana Fever in a five-game series in October.

“I know how much hard work goes into a championship season,”  Obama told the Mercury, also thanking them for “setting a wonderful example.”

“Because I live with three tall, good-looking women who are quite competitive and push me around under the boards all the time,” the president quipped.

In conjunction with the event, the team was scheduled to participate in a service project with local youth in Washington, D.C.

The Mercury is 21st team to be invited to the White House. One presidential perk is that Obama — and other presidents before him — usually are gifted with autographed memorabilia from the honored team.

[Photo Caption: President Barack Obama welcomes the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) Champion Phoenix Mercury to honor the team’s 2009 championship season during a ceremony in the State Dining Room of the White House July 19, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)]

Author: Bridgette Outten

A Chicago native, Bridgette has been a journalist since she first wrote for her seventh grade newsletter. Today, that passion is just as strong. She has written for several newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle, the Houston Defender, the Marshall News-Messenger (Texas) and the Springfield News-Sun (Ohio).