Despite the currently controversial state of baseball and politics, the Boston Red Sox have, per reports, accepted an invitation to visit the White House.
According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, the Boston Red Sox are invited to the White House, and have accepted the offer. Cotillo adds that while there’s no set date yet, there should be one known soon. Finally, in a separate tweet, Cotillo notes that Sox manager Alex Cora, a native of Puerto Rico, will visit the White House; he’s hoping to “use the platform in the right way”.
Furthermore, Rob Bradford of WEEI and Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe also confirmed the report, with Abraham writing in his column that it is not mandatory for Red Sox players to attend.
On the subject of meeting with President Donald Trump, who openly criticized Dodgers manager Dave Roberts during the World Series, Alex Cora said that: “I’m not going to embarrass anybody. Actually I’m going to represent probably 4 million people from back home the right way when we go there. Yes, I will go.”
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Red Sox president Sam Kennedy, who announced that the Red Sox had indeed accepted the invitation, said the following about the visit: “It’s a great opportunity for the players, an invitation for the players and ownership. It’s a great opportunity for those guys to go to the White House and get the behind-the-scenes tour and get the recognition they deserve for the world championship.”
Abraham notes that while the Houston Astros visited the White House following their 2017 World Series victory, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Correa, both natives of Puerto Rico, were absent from the ceremony.
While this visit is somewhat charged with controversy and tension, Kennedy’s words do somewhat ring true. Though the White House visit for championship teams is not as innocent as it once was, this’ll be something that Cora and the team hope to turn into a positive.