The complaint quickly spread to LA when news broke that the Dodgers were scheduled to visit President Trump at the White House to commemorate last year’s World Series victory
Who in the front office or clubhouse thought it was wise to celebrate the Dodgers’ incredible 2024 run. It features talented talent and international that look like a city in the logo.
Why do blue crews want to be seen alongside the red members of the country’s own Red Army?
Will Jackie Robinson and Jaime Jalin’s team want to do something with a commander who wants to declare everything and thwart their rights of work this season with a thank-you night for the seven ethnic groups, the LGBTQ+ community and the unions?
The phone was immediately called for the Dodgers to follow the leads of champions like the Golden State Warriors and the Philadelphia Eagles.
One of those voices was my fellow Times column study Lan Hernandez, who wrote last week that if the Dodgers follow the invitation, “bend the knees to the same power of hatred as the one they challenged when breaking the colour walls of sports.”
However, appearing does not necessarily mean bowing.
Boycotting is an ancient tradition of sports. In 2020, the Milwaukee Bucks refused to play to protest police shootings of black men in Wisconsin, leading to similar behavior by NBA, Major League Soccer, baseball and WNBA teams. College athletes came out of practice to protest racism on campus. The country always abandons the Olympics for political reasons.
But the most powerful and most memorable political protests by athletes are when they take action, where the action is. Think of Tommy Smith and John Carlos standing in silence, shoesless, gloved fist raised with a black power salute at the 1968 Olympics 200 metre medal ceremony. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick went to his knees during the 2016 season while Nignal Anthem was playing. Heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali criticizes anti-black racism at the Vietnam War and at the height of his career.
Those sportsmen challenged where it needed to hear: in their brightest moments, in the face of power, they are at risk for their livelihood. And history exempts them all.
Tigers quarterback Joe Barrow will give President Trump a team jersey in 2020 at the White House East Room in Washington, DC, to attend an event honoring the 2019 national college football champion Louisiana State Tigers.
(Mandel nkan/AFP via Getty Images)
The White House visit by the Championship team is a stupid incident and is quickly forgotten. But they are now American sports traditions, so why dodgers President Stan Kasten tried to justify his decision to Hernandez was, “What are you saying? [the players] Everything will become related to being a world champion. We did because everyone wanted to go. ”
But to argue that, as he did to Hernandez, there is nothing political about him laughing as much as the Dodger Stadium Gondola proposed. So, not only should the team sway by the White House on Monday, but they should also keep it in mind with the weight of LA.
I don’t think the Dodgers will be hit by Trump and his policies. His policies were the huge middle finger to California and everything it symbolized. But if they own it, being there could be a powerful responsibilities.
They should bring in owner Billy Jean King, a tennis legend who fought Matismo in the sport and one of the first LGBTQ athletes to come out publicly. Venezuelan-born Miguel Rojas will stand by Trump and allow the internet to point out that the president wants to end deportation protections for his 600,000 compatriots.
There’s Shohei Ohtani, the national league MVP and the world’s greatest baseball player, who waves Trump’s hand and makes headlines about Trump’s 24% tariffs in Japan. Second, will the president crack down on foreign athletes in the name of fostering American talent?
Everyone should wear the number 42 jersey in honor of Robinson. Robinson is famous for breaking the baseball colour line and fighting the separation of the army. The Department of Defense initially deleted an article on its website about Robinson’s military service and his refusal to move behind an army bus.
All of these gestures are simple, executable, and speak volume. Sometimes, simply not showing that you are not hiding who you are is how you fight back.
Trump’s opponents can’t scream inside them, and I think that’s enough resistance. They should not give this country’s traditions like the flag, the White House, and democracy to tyrants like Trump just because he enveloped them.
Going to the White House does not normalize Trump. It reminds us that the place is us, not him.
What’s more, LA should not keep Trump out of our lives, especially while he’s in power. He needs to deal with it in any way possible – which involves meeting him in person.
That’s why when Trump visited the wreckage of Pallisard earlier this year, Mayor Karen Bass and La County superintendent Kathryn Berger sat with him at a roundtable, reminding the president of what LA is doing and challenge him to help him.
The Dodgers wouldn’t think they would qualify as a well-expended time simply by posing for a photo and handing Trump a commemorative jersey. Or it’s all hopeful ideas on my part. For all the hype about being there for fans and always reflecting LA, the Dodgers have historically been only caring for one thing: the Dodgers.
So my final discussion for the team to do something important on their visit makes everything about them.
Everyone: Y’all pioneered the type of globalism and multiculturalism that Trump hates. For now, it’s time to stand tall in the current Dodger way, where that’s the most important thing.
Source link
