There’s a tradition in American sports where championship teams visit the White House. On Thursday, the Dodgers confirmed they’re keeping it alive, a decision that hasn’t sat well with everyone in their fanbase.
The trip is set for July 23, a scheduled off-day tucked between road series in Philadelphia and New York. White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers described the visit as something close to inevitable. “President Trump is excited to welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers BACK to the White House to celebrate their World Series championship,” she said.
The team’s own statement stayed carefully neutral by comparison. “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 wrote. “We appreciate these tributes in recognition of our back-to-back championships.”
Inside the clubhouse, the reaction has been considerably more mixed.
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Utility player Kiké Hernández confirmed in a now-deleted Instagram comment that he won’t be going this time, responding to a fan who wrote “Please don’t go to the white house” with two words: “I’m not.” Hernández had attended last year’s visit but was candid afterward about how he felt about it, describing hours of sitting around waiting with little actual access to Trump and saying plainly that he “wasn’t really interested” in speaking with him anyway.
Elsewhere in the clubhouse, the reaction is different.
Veteran pitcher Clayton Kershaw called the visit an honor regardless of politics. “We went in 2021. We went this time. I know there’s been a lot of stuff about, should the Dodgers go? All this stuff. But at the end of the day, getting to go to the White House, getting to see the Oval Office, getting to meet the President of the United States, that’s stuff that you can’t lose sight of, no matter what you believe,” Kershaw said.
Manager Dave Roberts had signaled a similar stance earlier in the year: “I am going to continue to try to do what tradition says.”
The backlash extends well beyond the roster.
Longtime columnist Bill Plaschke went further still, writing that the organization “cannot boast of sharing a uniform with Jackie Robinson while sharing a very public afternoon with President Trump.” He noted that other champions have declined the invitation entirely in recent years: “The 2017 NBA champion Golden State Warriors wouldn’t go. The 2018 Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles wouldn’t go. The 2025 NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder wouldn’t go.”
A fan named Madera, who told Plaschke he hasn’t attended a game since last summer’s ICE raids in Los Angeles, put it more personally: “It’s very disappointing to hear that our team is going to shake the hand of a person who has sent so much hate and terror into our community. Thousands of families in our city live in fear… we can’t stand for what’s going on.” He added: “The Dodgers bring so much joy to our community, but a large part of their fan base is the immigrant community, and they need to stand with us.”
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
