As an organization, the Los Angeles Dodgers accepted the ballclub’s invitation to the White House this summer to celebrate the team’s 2025 World Series victory.
“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 Dodgers said via statement. “We appreciate these tributes in recognition of our back-to-back championships.”
Whether or not to attend the once widley celebrated honor of celebrating championships with a visit to the White House has become a contentious topic in both of Donald Trump’s administrations, himself a contentious figure.
In the Dodgers’ case, longtime Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke took exception with the Dodgers’ decision to attend, especially given the club’s history with the iconic Jackie Robinson, who served a major role in integrating the MLB.
“The Dodgers do know they play in Los Angeles, right? Then why in the hell do they insist on embracing the person trying to tear this city apart?” he wrote in his Los Angeles Times column. “This is an old issue, it’s been written before, it’s been debated ad nauseam, but it’s happening again and remains as sickening as ever.”
“An organization cannot boast of sharing a uniform with Jackie Robinson while sharing a very public afternoon with President Trump. That doesn’t work,” he wrote. “An organization that admirably fought back against the wishes of a conservative clubhouse to pioneer Pride Night cannot be the same organization that publicly normalizes the morality of President Trump. That doesn’t compute.”
Plaschke will be happy to know that not every player on the team will be attending, and one of the players not planning on making the trip is star shortstop Mookie Betts.
“I’m not trying to make this a whole big deal,” Betts said, via the NY Post. “We just had a baby. You don’t get many days off. They’re coming [on the road trip]. And just want to hang out with the fam. That’s really kind of it. But people are gonna make it a whole bunch of other stuff.”
Betts is well aware that his decision will be heavily scrutinized, especially after attending the celebration last year in honor of Los Angeles’ 2024 title.
“If I do [go], people are gonna hate me. If I don’t, people are gonna hate me,” he siad. “So instead of trying to make everyone else happy, I’m gonna think about myself and my family.”
Betts won’t be the only prominent Dodgers star to skip the event. Kike Hernandez has confirmed that he will not be attending, and although he is slated to be on a minor league rehab assignment, he said he likely would’ve missed anyway due to the current administration’s harsh treatment of immigrants, per Fox Sports.
As of Monday evening, no other Dodgers are expected to miss the event, which is scheduled to take place on July 23.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.