The celebration of the underdogs in the East Room of the White House, on May 21, was filled with laughs, punch lines and roars of applause, as the Super Bowl XLVIII Champion Seattle Seahawks made their way to the champions visit with President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C.

Obama did not miss a beat as his opening remarks were aimed at the expense of the most controversial Seahawk, All-Pro cornerback, Richard Sherman.

“I considered letting Sherman up here to the podium and giving him the mic,” President Obama said as he welcomed the Super Bowl champions. “But we got to go in a little bit.”

Four years ago, no one would have thought that the Seattle Seahawks would win a Super Bowl. Obama recognized the hard work and dedication coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider did to put this championship team together.

Obama said, “I want to congratulate coach Pete Carroll for his outstanding leadership. I think those of us who are in leadership positions … we’re always looking at folks who do things the right way.”

The president also poked fun at general manager John Schneider. “We’ve got John Schneider, who put together this outstanding organization. But I’m curious where the championship belt is today, John?” Schneider had a picture surface on the Internet of him wearing a WWE Championship belt following the 43-8 rout of the Denver Broncos.

Obama, who acknowledged the Seahawks for being a true team, gave credit to almost every position of the squad. Not only name dropping the usual, such as the famous Legion of Boom or pro bowl quarterback Russell Wilson, but also the defensive lineman and the receiving core.

Running back Marshawn Lynch was not in attendance at the ceremony. Lynch, who gained national attention for his unwillingness to speak to the press during the Super Bowl media days, was still on the presidents’ speech agenda.

“I’m sorry he’s not here,” Obama said. “Because I want to say how much I admire his approach to the press. I want to get some tips from him.”

Though many jokes and laughs were shared, Obama did not forget the roads some of these men had to go through to get to where they are today. He shared Sherman’s story of growing up in the projects of Compton, California, where the gun violence and gangs were normal. Despite that, Sherman graduated high school with a 4.2 grade point average and was awarded a full-ride football scholarship to Stanford University, where he graduated with his degree in communications.

Obama acknowledged the history Wilson made. He became the second African-American quarterback to win a Super Bowl. “And the best part about it is no one commented on it,” Obama said.

“So let me say as a guy who was elected president named Barack Obama, I root for the underdogs,” he said. “Seeing folks overcome the odds excites me.”

The moment of the day was credited to the loudest fans in the National Football League, the 12th Man.

“We can’t talk about the Seahawks without talking about the 12th Man,” Obama said. “Last season, the 12’s set a record not once but twice for the loudest crowd noise in history. Now, history is a long time. So that’s really loud. So loud on multiple occasions they actually created minor earthquakes. Which is disturbing, and you should think about that.”

Sherman presented Obama with an enormous 12th Man flag, rather than the usual team jersey, for his photo with the team.

EWU alumni and ESPN radio host Colin Cowherd summed up the visit and photo perfectly for all Seahawks fans via his twitter page.

“From Jim Zorn to this. Finally. Pretty cool.”