The Los Angeles Dodgers are in the middle of their first domestic road trip of the season that consists of games against the Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals.
Sandwiched in between the series was the Dodgers’ visit to the White House on Monday to celebrate their 2024 World Series title.
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The expectation was for all players and coaches will attend the customary celebrations in the nation’s capital. That’s despite some initial hesitation from Mookie Betts, who previously skipped the Boston Red Sox’s visit to the White House under President Trump in 2019.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also said during President Trump’s first term that he would not go to the White House if the Dodgers were in position to do so.
Roberts has since changed his stance and is excited for the opportunity.
“I’m going. I respect the position. It’s the highest office in our country and the world, so I’m looking forward to it,” Roberts said.
Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten previously suggested that the entire Dodgers clubhouse reached a unanimous decision on visiting the White House to be celebrated as reigning World Series champions, and Roberts gave credence to that notion.
“We all as an organization decided that we were going to go. And so I’m in support of that, and it’s more on the heels of acknowledging our 2024 championship team,” Roberts said.
“And that’s something I’m proud of, and I’m going to be there with our players, coaches, ownership, front office, and we’re looking forward to celebrating our championship team.”
Dave Roberts understands criticism of Dodgers’ White House visit
The Dodgers have faced criticism over their decision to visit the White House, which Kasten said was not based on politics.
Roberts understands the differing opinions but said the team is looking forward to being honored as World Series champions.
“I’m not going to go too deep into this, but we have a lot of different people that are part of this organization, different backgrounds, different cultures, race, gender, and so everyone has a different story, economic situations, and so we are all going as an organization,” Roberts began.
“So that I do know is that we’re all aligned, and everyone’s going to have their opinions. Again, this is not a political thing. I’m not going to sit up here and make it political. I’m excited to again recognize the 2024 World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers.”
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