The Dodgers, who are coming off their second consecutive World Series title victory, will be headed to the White House around the beginning of April when they play a road series against the Washington Nationals. As important as the tradition is to celebrate their hard work, with the way that the current administration is handling our nation, the Dodgers should take the high road and decline the invite.
Visiting the White House is a tradition that began for baseball teams in 1865 during the presidency of President Andrew Johnson, with both the Brooklyn Atlantics and the Washington Nationals visiting. Teams usually visit the president’s home after having won a title in their respective leagues within the major sports in America such as the NBA, MLB, NFL, WNBA, and MLS.
Many teams have declined in the past, with some players not taking part in the trip due to their differing beliefs and stances. Back in 2018, the Philadelphia Eagles declined the invitation during Trump’s first term as president. Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors refused to visit, causing Trump to not invite the team the following year when they were champions once again.
The Dodgers should know that attending the White House during Trump’s presidency would be a slap in the face to their fans, as well as Latino players on their roster. A majority of the fan base is of Latino descent, and has been affected the most due to the current administration’s actions regarding immigration. For the Dodgers to visit the White House, it would show how little they care for those fans. Even the team’s rich history of Latino and foreign players, such as the late great Fernando Valenzuela, a Mexican icon in the community, is now being stained as this team shows its true colors. Jackie Robinson, one of the most important figures in baseball history, has faced plenty of attempts from the president to be forgotten and erased such as removing articles on Robinson from the Pentagon’s website and banning his biography from the Naval Academy’s library. Just how much has to be done for the team to finally stand up against the administration?
Instead of embracing their history and the culture of the city, the team seemingly attempts to fit in with the new regime of this country under President Trump. This past season, when singer Nezza sang the national anthem in Spanish, she faced a ban from Dodger Stadium for embracing her culture and standing for what she believed in. Early on in the season, a fan held up an “Ice out of LA” sign, which caused him to get kicked out of the stadium despite the cheers from fans for his bravery in voicing his opinion against the raids back in June of last year. This was only a few hours after federal agents were denied entry into the ballpark by the organization.
With an administration that mainly targets Latino people simply due to their skin color, this team should make a statement clarifying that they will not stand by this. As of now, no one on the team has spoken up regarding the ICE raids and issues going on within the country, which need to be addressed sooner rather than later. These raids continue to go on all across the country. The Latino community needs the team, arguably one of the most important pieces of the city, to grow a spine and show that they stand with them and the horrific actions being taken against them by the administration. Kiké Hernandez, who is of Puerto Rican descent, was the only player last season who spoke up against the raids, describing how he was “saddened and infuriated” by how immigrants were being treated, yet he still attended the White House in 2025. Even the Dodgers donated $1M to families who were affected by the raids but went through with the invitation. What sense does it make? (The only Dodgers player who did not visit the White House was Freddie Freeman due to an injury he was facing.)
I can understand how hard it is to boycott the team despite their decision to attend. It’s a team that matters an insane amount to this city, but if fans make their voices heard, then the team can see that they’re making the wrong decision. The fans matter much more to the success of the team than attending the White House to greet a man who has done nothing but tear the country apart. The very least that players can do is choose not to attend, instead of turning their backs on the people who support them day in and day out.
The Dodgers organization has two months to figure out what they will do. Players and staff could at least choose to voice their opinions on the matter, or refuse to attend. But at the end of the day, if they don’t, they have to understand that despite gaining a meeting with the president, they are losing part of their legacy and morals. And should they choose not to speak up, maybe a loss in the World Series will haunt them for not standing by the Latino community when we need it the most.
