Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES, CA — The Dodgers will have an extra stop on their itinerary when they visit the nation’s capital on their first road trip of the year. The Dodgers announced today that they have accepted the invitation from the White House for a visit on April 7th during their swing through Washington, D.C. to play the Nationals. In addition, the team will meet lawmakers on Capitol Hill the following day.
“In keeping with long-standing baseball tradition, President Trump has invited the 2024 World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers to the White House when they play in Washington D.C. on April 7,” the team announced via its official X/Twitter page. “The Dodgers look forward to visiting the White House and celebrating our title.”
Back in the day, the President of the United States would call up the winning locker room after a World Series victory, and wish the champs congratulations. That eventually morphed into the winning team being invited for a photo op and White House tour. The Dodgers have had their share of Oval Office visits, most recently in June of 2021, when they celebrated their Covid Year championship with then-president Joe Biden. And who could forget the infamous Mariachi Joe Kelly with his full regalia hanging out in the halls of power?
Of course, given the current occupant of the White House, the decision to participate in this annual tradition has become fraught with drama as the “will they or won’t they” questions are batted around social media. Prior to Tuesday’s finale of the Freeway series, manager Dave Roberts was diplomatic. “It’s certainly a huge honor to get the invitation to the White House. It allows us to celebrate our 2024 championship. To my understanding, every World Series champion gets that honor,” Roberts said. “I respect the position. It’s the highest office in our country certainly, in the world. So I’m looking forward to it.”
When asked about some of the controversy swirling around the president’s statements regarding DEI, including the temporary removal of an article about Jackie Robinson from the DOD website, Roberts sidestepped the question, calling it “a whole other scrum.”
I think the Dodgers are playing it the right way. If individual players have a problem with Donald Trump, it’s their right not to attend. However, to rob the other players of this once-in-a-lifetime experience just because of the current political moment seems very shortsighted.
So good on the Dodgers for keeping up this tradition. It will no doubt be a day to remember, regardless of who ends up attending.
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