WASHINGTON — The White House has announced that the 2019 World Series-winning Washington Nationals will visit the White House on Monday. At least one member of the championship team didn't attend.
The Washington Post reported that the Nats closer Sean Doolittle wasn't going to attend the celebration at the White House. Though Doolittle has never criticized Trump by name publicly, he and his wife Eireann Dolan are politically active. Doolittle was nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award in 2016, which honors MLB players for their sportsmanship and community involvement.
Doolittle supports a number of organizations aiding veterans, as well as supporting the LGBTQ community and refugees. In 2015, when the Oakland Athletics' Pride Night was criticized by some fans, Doolittle and Dolan bought 850 game tickets and donated them to local LGBTQ groups. Later that November, the couple also hosted a Thanksgiving dinner in Chicago for 17 Syrian refugee families.
Doolittle was also one of several athletes who denounced Trump's 2016 comments about groping women without consent.
Press Secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, Charlotte Clymer, tweeted that Doolittle's decision was "not one bit surprising."
Doolittle's announcement is the latest incident in a series of politicized baseball, after Trump's decision to attend World Series Game 5 at Nats Park was met with mixed reactions.
The Golden State Warriors were disinvited to the White House in 2017 by Trump after several players said they would not attend and the Philadelphia Eagles had their visit canceled by the White House in 2018, because only 10 players agreed to visit.
The Nationals are also scheduled to have a victory parade in D.C. on Saturday, November 2 at 2 p.m. The parade will begin on Constitution Avenue Northwest at 15th Street and end on Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest at 3rd Street with a team rally.
