On April 7, the reigning Major League Baseball world champion, the Los Angeles Dodgers, took their celebration to the White House to be recognized by President Donald J. Trump — an act that has sparked controversy with devoted fans. After strongly declining their invitation in 2019, all team members but Freddie Freeman were in attendance to be recognized for their achievements by Trump, with some key players making short remarks about how much of an honor it is to be recognized in such a way. The team posed for photos and shook the President’s hand as he acknowledged a few specific players for their incredible feats.
This is a long-standing tradition between the White House and professional sports teams. Beginning in 1865, when President Andrew Johnson invited the Brooklyn Atlantics and Washington Nationals, visiting the White House is considered an honor for all professional athletic organizations. Each year, the winning team from the MLB, NBA, NFL, and NCAA is expected to be invited to the White House for a ceremony and celebration. With Donald Trump in office, some teams in recent years have declined their invitations or outright not been invited by the President, to which the teams replied that they would not even want to attend in the first place. The 2018 Philadelphia Eagles (NFL), Golden State Warriors (NBA), and Minnesota Lynx (WNBA) are some of the most notable teams to opt out of the visit.
This visit was so significant because of the culture and rich history associated with the Los Angeles Dodgers. As a team representing such a diverse city with a large immigrant population, many fans were confused by the Dodgers’ organization’s decision to celebrate with Donald Trump, considering his policies on immigration in the United States. Fans have commented on how they support the organization, but the organization doesn’t support them. Some fans have expressed their disapproval with the team’s actions by boycotting the games and the team itself, taking their words to social media to gain traction and build support with other fans who may be unaware of how meaningful the visit was. Just one week later, Dodger stadium hosted “Jackie Robinson Night,” prompting fans to bring up the fact that Jackie Robinson was recently removed from Pentagon’s veteran website by Trump’s administration. This action was deemed an “accident” after intense backlash was received. With this year’s baseball season just beginning, fans are curious to see the scale of this boycott and if it will impact the Dodgers organization and its players.
