Red Sox Manager, Nearly a Dozen Players of Color to Skip White House Visit
For decades, championship teams have visited the White House in a moment of ritual and tradition. Athletic excellence is celebrated, lame jokes are told and the president is given yet another jersey bearing his name. Under President Donald Trump, though, the visits often have become politicized, featuring athlete protests and, in the case of the Boston Red Sox, raising questions about a racial divide.
The Red Sox, who steamrolled to a World Series crown last October, are poised to visit the White House on Thursday. Team manager Alex Cora announced last week he would not attend, citing his frustration with the administration's efforts to help his native Puerto Rico recover from a devastating hurricane. Nearly a dozen players, including American League MVP Mookie Betts, have said they will also skip the ceremony.
All those bypassing the White House are players of color.
Every white player on the team ... was expected to attend.
Pitcher David Price, an African American who said he would not attend, retweeted longtime Boston sports columnist Steve Buckley, who had noted,
"Basically, it's the white Sox who'll be going (instead of the Red Sox)."
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-09/matters-of-politics-race-accompany-red-sox-to-white-house?srnd=politics-vp
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