Dodgers Legend Makes White House Visit Decision After Fans Voice Concern
· Yahoo Sports
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 31: The Los Angeles Dodgers logo on a hat and a Rawlings glove during the seventh inning against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium on August 31, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Image Of Sport/Getty Images)
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Getty ImagesThe Los Angeles Dodgers earned a second straight World Series championship after making good on preseason expectations as the favorite. And with that latest win has come another controversial decision for the team and its players.
Following their 2024 title, the Dodgers accepted an invitation to celebrate at the White House as the Donald Trump administration cracked down on immigration enforcement, the president publicly disparaged the State of California and fans called for the team to protest.
“Almost all the Dodgers roster was with (manager Dave) Roberts at the White House last year despite pushback from fans,” Scott Thompson reported for Fox News. “After the Dodgers defended their title in Toronto, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), an immigration rights group, wrote an online petition pleading with the Dodgers not to attend the White House if an invitation comes for 2026.”
Despite continued calls from fans and local advocacy groups for a protest in response to the administration’s policies, the team has indicated that it will accept another invitation to celebrate its latest championship with President Trump.
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Any decisions to skip the visit could still be made on an individual basis and it seems likely that one or two Dodgers players could refuse to go to the White House. But legendary pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who retired after the team won its latest title, has already decided he will attend despite concern among some fans.
“I went when President Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President Trump is in office,” Kershaw announced, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”
Kershaw delivered remarks during the team’s last visit to the White House and he celebrated his first title with the Dodgers by attending a White House event in 2021.
However, with fans calling on the team to skip the visit and given some of the administration’s latest sports-related communications controversies, it seemed possible that the pitcher might have had a change of heart after his retirement.
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Shaikin asked Kershaw if he had seen a video posted by the White House’s official X account, which celebrated military casualties amid a war in Iran by interspersing missile strikes with clips of Major League Baseball sluggers hitting home runs. The video was posted with the caption “Pure American dominance.”
Kershaw responded that he had not seen that video and that he had “no interest” in reviewing its content for himself before he headed to the White House to celebrate his latest championship with the Dodgers.