“Asked” is not “ordered”. Pence did what Pence wanted to do and the President supported what he did. Pence was elected to his position in his own right, just as the President was. Pence had free will and the votes of the people to fill his position, just as the President did. The fact is that he and the President were on the same page.
And it was spontaneous in the sense that it would only happen if something else happened. Something else did happen, so Pence chose then to do what he said he would do. Had the players respected the flag and country, Pence and his wife would have stayed the full game.
The Media called it “a stunt”. (As though Liberals don’t pull stunts).