When Little League volunteer Bill Haley found out his players were going to the White House, he knew they would finally understand a message he had been trying to share all year long.
"The big thing for the kids is the idea that their circumstances don't determine their ceiling," Haley said. "They are the best in the United States. These kids - really humble kids - are the best in the United States."
The first family paid them tribute Thursday, as President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama gave a White House welcome to the players of Jackie Robinson West, who brought both pride and a national Little League championship to Chicago's often-struggling Far South Side.
The president posed for photos with the 13 players, and the team toured the White House dressed in their gold and blue jerseys and ties.
The team presented the president and the first lady with custom-made baseball gloves and jerseys. The president told the players it was important that they stay in school as examples for their fellow students, while the first lady emphasized the importance of exercise.
Team manager Darold Butler said he knew the players were awestruck and that the coaching staff's message - that dedication produces results - had hit home for the kids.
"That hard work pays off is truly not a cliche," Butler said. "They worked hard, we worked hard as volunteers and as a league, and it truly paid off."
"When we say it, they see it," added Haley, the volunteer league chairman who accompanied the team to Washington.
Marquis Jackson, 13, said when he found out he was going to the White House, he knew what he wanted to ask Obama.
"I told the president I wanted to face him in basketball," Jackson said.
The president told Jackson he had to take a rain check, but that the next time he came to Chicago, he would schedule a match.
"The president told him that he needs to grow a little bit more before they play," added Butler.