Let Them Eat Big Macs

"I made Mexico pay for this."

It was a feast fit for a Burger King.

A lot has happened since the last time I dusted off the cobwebs on this blog. Clemson has won not one but two national titles, the latest coming after a complete shellacking of Alabama. No Happy Meal for you, Nick Saban. No, you don’t get the Hot Wheels toy.

The confetti had barely settled and Hunter Renfrow’s 16^th season barely finished when political controversy collided with my beloved Tigers. Our big orange machine met the big orange POTUS for a congratulatory White House visit—and the players were met with stacks of burgers and fries served on the White House’s best silver.

 The social media-o-sphere went more ballistic than that dude who assaulted theMcDonald’s employee.

People slammed our president for such plebian fare offered to the new National Champions. Hilarious memes dropped onto the Internet smoother than Trevor Lawrence tossing a touchdown to Justyn Ross. National media outlets exploded with the story, with publications like the New Yorker offering harsh criticism. Sarah Huckabee Sanders denied that President Trump horded all the Happy Meal toys in his bedroom for play time later on.

But at the end of the day, one must beg the real question: Is it really a big deal?

My unabashed Clemson adoration is no secret here, and back when I wrote this blog more regularly, I tried to keep politics out of it. For the sake of more disclosure than what’s actually in McDonald’s beef, I’ll make it pretty clear: I abhor this presidency and much of what it stands for. It’s not some kind of leftist propaganda; it’s more like recognizing that it’s okay to dip your fries in a Wendy’s Frostie but not okay to put those little tiny onions on your burger without permission like McDonald’s loves to do.

So, now that you know I love my orange alma mater and can’t stand our orange president, my initial and continued reaction to this fast food feast remains this: “So what?”

Folks, these are college men. They just scored the biggest prize in all of college football and they did it with more bravado than KFC when they created those ungodly bowls of chicken and mashed potatoes and corn and Schnauzers. Their emotional high isn’t going to wane until sometime in April. They’re rolling into the White House, they’re meeting the President of the United States, and they’re having the time of their lives.

Do you really think a plate of Big Macs is going to upset them?

Hell, when I was a student at Clemson, and back then our football team struggled to beat Wake Forest regularly, there were times that a fast food cheeseburger was the most nutritious thing I put in my body all week. I helped tear down the goal posts after Clemson beat 1-10 South Carolina and finished 3-8! My standards were pretty low.

But a few details got lost in the mix of this controversy: Clemson actually requested the fast food meal. And the boys loved every minute of it. And for this Tiger fan, that makes me happy no matter who occupies that White House.

Too much controversy surrounds White House visits when a championship team is invited for a congratulations. Some players boycott and create a stir. Others make people upset by attending. Listen, folks. You’ve just been invited to the place where Lincoln used to shoot dice. Where Teddy Roosevelt kept a pet bear. Where William Howard Taft got stuck in a bath tub. Where Bill Clinton got a—eh… nevermind. But you get the point. You don’t have to agree with the politics of the man who resides there. It’s still an honor to visit the White House as a guest and receive praise for your achievements. That’s what an adult does. That’s what your National Champion Clemson Tigers did.

There are plenty of foibles and actions committed by this administration that deserve the sharpest of scrutiny and criticism. Serving college dudes a bunch of cheeseburgers isn’t one of them. Choose your angst wisely lest your more valid protests go ignored like your special requests at a McDonald’s drive thru.

And for the Trumpophiles, the anger over the jokes directed at this event are equally absurd. It's funny. It's quirky. It deserves a good laugh. If anyone on either side of the political spectrum is upset about this feast, it's time for them to visit their nearest fast food joint and play in the ball pit for a little while.

So what does the greatest college football team in history (sorry, but 1897 Penn didn’t play anybody) eat at the White House? Whatever the hell it wants to. Maybe when Clemson returns next year, President Trump will splurge for some Frosties this time. It could be worse. Some people will never get to eat fast food in the White House.

We shouldn’t ignore that history was made with this move, though. President Trump is now the only person in history to collect all the McDonald’s Monopoly pieces with this gesture.