ESPN Radio host Peter Rosenberg is drawing attention after referring to the Olympic gold-winning U.S. men’s hockey team as “sad little pawns” for meeting with President Donald Trump and attending the State of the Union address earlier this week.
Rosenberg, who also co-hosts “Ebro in the Morning” on New York hip-hop station Hot 97, livestreamed himself watching Tuesday’s State of the Union. Just over midway through the 55-minute stream, Rosenberg began criticizing the men’s hockey team, many of whom attended the event. The team received a nearly two-minute standing ovation.
“You pawns, you sad little pawns,” Rosenberg said. “What are you doing? And you guys will probably get to live a white, cushy, privileged enough life that you’ll never even have to answer for how embarrassing this is to do.“
Five players from the team did not make the trip to the White House. Three others, including Toronto Maple Leafs center and Team USA captain Auston Matthews, visited Trump at the White House but are believed not to have attended the State of the Union.
ESPN RADIO HOST CALLS USA MEN’S HOCKEY TEAM “SAD LITTLE PAWNS”
“Peter Rosenberg uploaded a live reaction video to the YouTube channel…arguing that the gold medal-winning hockey team was being used as props.” @slickricksports reports.@damonroberts @lfs6b @rickdelgadorad… pic.twitter.com/P5aaJfgvZj
— Real America’s Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) February 26, 2026
Rosenberg called the situation “so embarrassing” as he spoke over Trump’s speech.
“We’ve been doing five minutes on the hockey players,” Rosenberg complained. “Alright, we get it. They won! They won a hockey game, folks. … It’s so embarrassing, dude. I’m glad a goalie [Connor Hellebuyck] is getting the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”
Unfortunately, the U.S. men’s hockey team essentially found themselves in a lose-lose situation. If they skipped the White House trip, they almost certainly would have angered the MAGA community, and potentially Trump himself, for what some may have perceived as a diss or insult towards the president. Basketball fans might remember when Trump refused to invite the NBA champion Golden State Warriors to the White House in 2017 after star guard Stephen Curry said he wasn’t interested in going.
I’m sure they really care that Peter Rosenberg thinks this. https://t.co/WYMtUVKDU7
— Carpé Diem-er (@diemmatt) February 25, 2026
But, because they went to the White House, the men’s hockey team clearly offended and bothered those who strongly oppose the Trump administration. USA Today’s Mary Clarke accused the team of failing to “meet the cultural movement” in a widely-panned column. Toronto Star sportswriter Damien Cox said that Matthews “failed in every respect” as the Maple Leafs’ captain by meeting with Trump.
All of this comes with the territory, though. Media members have spent years praising athletes and sports figures for using their platforms for political purposes, except for when those same media members disagree with the politics or the politicians involved.
Rosenberg also recently came under fire for criticizing rapper Nicki Minaj, who has become a fierce Trump supporter in recent months. Minaj and Rosenberg famously clashed in 2012 when he suggested that her song “Starships” was not “real hip-hop.” Minaj withdrew from performing at Summer Jam that year, though the two made peace a year later. Rosenberg claimed on X that Minaj’s “downfall will be studied for generations.”
