Commentary: Just say no. Dodgers players should decline White House visit

"During their recent magical World Series run, the champion Dodgers had many heroes, but one constant. Whenever they needed a leader, they found one. No matter how dire the circumstances, whenever they needed a hero, somebody stepped up. Yoshinobu Yamamoto won a game on zero day's rest. Will Smith won a game with one hand. Freddie Freeman was an 18th-inning savior on one leg. Kiké Hernández was a ninth-inning savior with a bad elbow."

"Everywhere you looked, there was a veteran Dodger willing to sacrifice himself for the good of the team. That needs to happen again. That needs to happen now. A player needs to spearhead a decision that will not be made by the big business that runs this team, a decision that will bypass the biased blather and directly connect to their many besieged fans, a decision that only a player can make."

"In the wake of Thursday's White House confirmation that the Dodgers will be making the traditional champions visit there this spring, somebody needs to send a clear message to President Donald Trump. "No." No, they won't go. No, they will not support the ICE raids that are taking place daily just outside their clubhouse doors. No, they will not openly support an administration that has declared war on its fan base."

During the World Series run, Dodgers veterans repeatedly delivered heroic performances in adverse circumstances. The team is urged to again show such leadership by having players refuse the traditional White House champions visit. Players declining the visit would signal refusal to support daily ICE raids occurring near their clubhouse and opposition to an administration targeting the team's diverse fan base. The decision should originate from players rather than management or team business interests. A player-led refusal would bypass biased commentary and directly express solidarity with fans facing deportation despite no criminal history. The appeal frames athlete action as a humane stand for community, not politics.

Read at Los Angeles Times