super bowl winners, super bowl history

Just like every other winning team in Super Bowl history, the New York Giants ended their triumphal tour of the US with a stop at the White House. This is a long-standing tradition in Super Bowl history, but what does it really mean? Is it just that every president, including slimeballs like Richard Nixon and the ultra-wimpy Jimmy Carter just like being associated with Super Bowl winners? But what if the president isn't a fan of the winning team? Is he obligated to be gracious, just because they're the Super Bowl winners? It hasn't happened at any point in Super Bowl history, but what if a sitting president disinvites the Super Bowl winners to the White House? How would that affect the team's reputation, or for that matter, the popularity of that particular president? America is pretty sports crazy after all. Would dissing the Super Bowl winners cause people to picket the White House? Could it have the effect of making it impossible for that president to get re-elected if snubbed the Super Bowl winners during an election year? I don't know the answers to any of these questions, but it's fascinating to think about them. What do you think? Would it have much impact on the public at large?