There is a racial divide among the Boston Red Sox regarding a trip to the White House.
The Red Sox won the World Series and were invited to celebrate their victory at the White House. The franchise accepted the invitation but some players and the team’s manager Alex Cora are opting out, according to Business Insider. The players who are attending are all white with the exception of one Cuban player. The ones who refuse to attend are all people of color.
Sports writer Steven Buckley pointed this schism out on Twitter.
Alex Cora has confirmed newspaper report he will not make the trip to meet the president. So basically it’s the white Sox who’ll be going.
— Steve Buckley (@BuckinBoston) May 5, 2019
“Alex Cora has confirmed newspaper report he will not make the trip to meet the president,” he wrote. “So basically it’s the white Sox who’ll be going.”
Pitcher David Price, who is not going, retweeted the post to ensure it was seen by a wider audience.
I just feel like more than 38k should see this tweet… https://t.co/BtbK0DNPQc
— David Price (@DAVIDprice24) May 6, 2019
“I just feel like more than 38k should see this tweet,” he wrote referring to Buckley’s follower count. Price has approximately 1.8 million followers.
Price’s retweet received a lot of attention and when he was asked about it, he claimed Buckley’s tweet was “was an insensitive tweet that needs to be seen by more people,” according to The Boston Globe. When asked why he wasn’t going, Price replied “It’s baseball season.”
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Buckley wasn’t the only person who noticed a divide within the team. Sports columnist Britni de la Cretaz posted a list detailing which players are going and who will be absent.
Here is the list. As of right now, not one white player is standing in solidarity with the players of color, who have almost universally declined the invitation. The franchise should never have let this happen by accepting the WH invite in the first place. pic.twitter.com/eSU4eECUU0
— Britni de la Cretaz ⚾️ (@britnidlc) May 6, 2019
“Here is the list,” she wrote. “As of right now, not one white player is standing in solidarity with the players of color, who have almost universally declined the invitation. The franchise should never have let this happen by accepting the WH invite in the first place.”
Despite the speculation, Cora insists the team is getting along.
“It’s a personal choice, and everyone respects that,” he told reporters. “It has no effect [in the clubhouse] or out there on the field.”
Cora, who is Puerto Rican, isn’t going because he disapproved of how the Trump administration handled hurricane relief on the island.
“It was a decision I made with a lot of conviction,” he said. “I think the message was clear [and] simple, and everybody understands. I don’t feel comfortable going to a celebration while we’re living what we’re living back home.”
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