Dodgers send message about White House visit
· Yahoo Sports
With the Los Angeles Dodgers set to visit the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets later this month, an off-day between the two East Coast series looms on the schedule July 23.
Visit mchezo.co.za for more information.
Amid reports that the defending World Series champions will use that day to visit the White House — a ceremony typically afforded the reigning champions in the major U.S. sports leagues — the Dodgers issued a statement July 9 defending their participation in the tradition.
“As was the case one year ago, the Dodgers’ upcoming visits to the White House and Capitol Hill follow the longtime tradition of visits by other World Series champions,” the statement read. “We appreciate these tributes in recognition of our back-to-back championships.”
MORE: Former Dodgers All-Star, who coached Mets in his 80s, dies at 89
The players who comprise professional sports teams, like the cities they represent, are political kaleidoscopes. The Dodgers employ shortstop Mookie Betts, who knelt during the U.S. national anthem amid the George Floyd protests in 2020. They also employ pitcher Blake Treinen, who wrote the name of Charlie Kirk on his hat when the right-wing influencer was killed last year.
Treading the line between opposing viewpoints might have been the Dodgers’ goal with their statement. But it will be impossible to reconcile visiting the White House and placate the same fans who protested the use of Dodger Stadium as a staging area for Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity last year.
In the months that followed, the team fulfilled its pledge of donating $1 million “toward direct financial assistance for families of immigrants impacted by recent events in the region.” Showing support for the same administration whose policies adversely impacted those families, by participating in a ceremony other champion teams have rejected, sends a message even the most anodyne statement strains to reconcile.
MORE: Dodgers send message to Venezuelan rookie who debuted amid family tragedy
The Dodgers visited the White House in April 2025, seven months after they won the 2024 World Series. Soon, President Donald Trump will get another Dodgers jersey to add to his collection, and the team’s players, coaches, and other personnel will get another round of handshakes.
When that happens, expect more statements from the Dodgers rejecting the idea that their actions embed a political message of any kind.