Juan, a lifelong Dodgers fan and son of Latino immigrants, has stopped watching games after his father was deported last year. He learned that Guggenheim Partners, the team's ownership, had a stake in Geo Group, a private prison company operating immigration detention centers. 'I don’t think I’ve watched a full Dodger game since,' he said. 'I definitely have not been back.'
White House visit deepens divide
The Dodgers are scheduled to visit the White House on Thursday, a tradition for World Series winners. But Donald Trump's depiction of Los Angeles as a trash heap controlled by 'illegal aliens' and his aggressive immigration policies have left many fans conflicted. Bill Plaschke, a Los Angeles Times sports columnist, wrote: 'Why in the hell do they insist on embracing the person trying to tear this city apart?'
Juan said: 'It was never controversial to go to the White House until Trump came into office. I’m very conflicted.'
Players opt out
At least two prominent players will not attend. Kiké Hernández, a Puerto Rican fan favorite, said: 'If I was active, I probably wouldn’t have gone anyways.' Mookie Betts, who skipped a Trump White House visit in 2019, said he would spend the day with his family. 'I’m not trying to make this a whole big deal,' he told the California Post.
Community pressure
Under public pressure after ICE attempted to use an area outside Dodger Stadium as a staging ground, the team told ICE to stay away and pledged $1.1 million to community groups supporting families affected by deportations. They also sold their $12 million stake in Geo Group. However, religious and community groups say the team could do more, pointing to a 2020 Black Lives Matter video where pitcher Clayton Kershaw said 'silence is no longer an option.'
Father Brendan Busse, pastor at Dolores Mission, said: 'Are we here to make money off one another, or as a loving community?' He and others see the White House visit as an opportunity to send a message, rather than boycott. 'Bringing Dodger blue into the White House is better than all the gold trinkets that have been brought in recently,' Busse said.
Natalia Molina, a professor at the University of Southern California, questioned whether players could be themselves. 'At the end of the day, it’s jarring to see players smiling with a person who harbors hatred toward our community,' she said. 'How do you reconcile that?'
