The dodgers celebrate Jackie Robinson after saying nothing when it counted

The Jackie Robinson Day in 2022, the Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said“What he did was incredible, but we have to do it well while continuing.”

Jackie Robinson Day in 2023, Roberts said“Jackie was chosen … to fight the fight for all of us.”

Jackie Robinson Day in 2024, Roberts said“He had a big burden in his life to be a professional baseball player but to take all this negativity, this hatred towards him, his wife, his children and persevere.”

Jackie Robinson Day in 2025, Roberts said“Jackie knew that things were bigger than him. He had to stay the course, staying firm, to give people an opportunity.” He sounded a little different.

MLB once again celebrated Jackie Robinson Day Tuesday, commemorating the 78th anniversary of the day, the legend of the Dodgers made its debut in the big league and broke the barrier of colors old decades, a historic moment at the beginning of the era of civil rights.

The League has celebrated the Jackie Robinson Day every year since 2004, all the players bringing N ° 42 Robinson's retirement in tribute to the courage he took to join an entirely white MLB knowing the meticulous examination he would invite and the obstacles he would face. Holidays have never been controversial Because Robinson has not been a controversial subject for decades.

It was therefore a surprise when the Trump administration took two measures last month, which treated one of the largest sports heroes as a division figure. There was time has erased an article on Robinson and its military history from the website of the Ministry of Defense And time He reported a Robinson biography for the abolition of the US Naval Academy Library.

In both cases, the administration cited its opposition to the policies of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), publishing two declarations making them explode after having removed the article, then in return. The article was restored a day later, and no book on Robinson was in The list of books really deleted from the library.

What is confusing in all of this is that the Trump administration never explained how Robinson was linked to Dei, unless Dei is considered the very idea that a black man could deserve the pain. Robinson never benefited from diversity policies – if anything, he was exactly the opposite of what the detractors would define as “a dei rental”. It was a talent for the temple of massively overqualified fame which had to fight to obtain a job which he deserved for years earlier. He reached MLB not because of his race but despite this.

In response to all this – a presidential administration castigates the greatest hero in baseball as a DEI – MLB and the Dodgers have said very little.

Jackie Robinson broke the Baseball Color Barrier when he made his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. (Richard Meek / Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

(Richard Meek via Getty Images)

What did Dodgers say about Jackie Robinson?

Before Tuesday, the only known comment that any member of the Dodgers had made on the recent stories of Robinson had come from Roberts, who only had alluded to “Strong opinions on dei“When asked the article deleted to him. Beyond that, there had been no declaration or comment from the Dodgers or their managers. A request for comments from Yahoo Sports last week did not receive an answer.

What the dodgers have done is Visit President Trump to the White House last week without posting the premise of Robinson-dei. Roberts and Mookie Betts, who produced a documentary Robinson in 2022, shakes Trump's hand. Clayton Kershaw presented him with a “Trump 47” dodgers jersey. No player on the active list refused to attend.

It is despite that Roberts said in 2019 that he would not go to the White House to see Trump if the Dodgers have hypothetically won the World Series and that Betts refused when he won the World Series with the Red Sox of Boston in 2018. Betts declared before the visit of this year that he regretted not to go with Boston, saying that he “Made of me. “”

This time, the team presented a united front built on the idea that they were all impatient to visit the White House, the president of the Dodgers, Stan Kasten, say that all the players wanted to go. When asked fans who were upset by the team's decisionFan fan utility man kiké hernández, who was very critical of Trump's response to Hurricane Maria in 2019said: “They have the right to have an opinion.”

However, Hernández also described the visit of the White House as “a kind of losing situation for me” Comments to the Radio journalist Dave Vassegh. We don't know how enthusiastic the other Dodgers players were about to visit the White House, despite what Kasten said.

Roberts defended the White House visit when the criticism was questioned on Tuesday, saying that making the trip concerned the unit team:

“I do not personally consider to speak on both sides of our mouth. I understand how people feel this way, but I think that supporting our country, staying unified, aligned is what I personally believe. I just think of doing things the right way, and I think people will have their opinions on what we did last week, but I'm in the process of making us celebrate, and we all have stories and backgrounds and backgrounds together. “

However, the Dodgers did not present head -on in 2021, when they visited Joe Biden after the World Series 2020, while the Léveur Blake Treinen refused to make this trip to the White House.

For the record, the Dodgers have been 3-4 since Trump's visit after a 9-2 start.

And what MLB did?

It should be noted that we do not know what conversations have had among the Dodgers, the MLB and the White House, which made the headlines with its desire to illegally threaten companies, schools and organizations if they do not respect the wishes of the administration. It is conceivable that the team and / or the league have been warned of consequences if they have created negative titles for the White House. The League has already faced similar ramifications, as when the GOP senators presented a bill to eliminate the MLB from its antitrust exemption after the League moved the 2021 stars match in Atlanta for a bill which has restricted the voting rights.

On the side of the League office, Trump's influence on Robinson was again felt when Noticed observers This MLB had removed a language from its annual press release from Jackie Robinson Day. Here is what he said in 2024 (and 2023), with an additional accent:

“Robinson Played His First Major League Game at Ebbets Field on April 15, 1947 As A First Baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Major League Baseball has Celebrated Jackie Robinson's Legacy in an extensive and unified League-Wide Show of Support Over the Years, His Number throughout the Majors in 1997, Dedicating April 15th as Jackie Robinson Day Each Year since 2004, and Requesting that Every Player and All On-Field Personal Wear His Number 42 during the matches planned Le Jackie Robinson Day since 2009. The Major League Baseball aims to educate all fans on Jackie Robinson, the achievements and the legacy of her life, while directing initiatives that support communities and significantly approach diversity and inclusion at all levels of our sport. For more information, please visit mlbtogether.com. “”

Here is what he said this year:

“Robinson Played His First Major League Game at Ebbets Field on April 15, 1947 As A First Baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Major League Baseball has Celebrated Jackie Robinson's Legacy in an extensive and unified League-Wide Show of Support Over the Years, His Number throughout the Majors in 1997, Dedicating April 15th as Jackie Robinson Day Each Year since 2004, and Requesting that Every Player and All On-Field Personal Wear His Number 42 during the matches planned Le Jackie Robinson Day since 2009. Major League Baseball aims to educate all fans on Jackie Robinson, achievements and heritage of her life, while communicating her message at all levels of sport. For more information, please visit mlbtogether.com. “”

In short, the league has deleted the mention of the way it fights against racism – from a press release dedicated to a man who spent his life courageously fighting racism. It was after Deleted the word “diversity” of his career page in response to a decree against Dei programsThen declared that “its values on diversity remain unchanged”.

The MLB teams also hesitated to share the details of their diversity programs when asked by Bradford William Davis of the Star-Telegram of Fort-WorthWith 29 of the 30 teams, including the Dodgers, refusing to make a public comment.

What does Jackie Robinson mean for dodgers?

In all of this, you see a team and a dancing league for approval where Robinson was held once firm, both when he broke the color barrier and when he received a martial court for having challenged an illegal prescription to move to the back of a military bus.

MLB and the dodgers will always say that Robinson is important, but they seem more and more suspicious of explaining why. And from this, it is visible to the influence that the Trump administration exerts, as well as the fact that it works, because the Dodgers and the MLB would obviously remain silent than risking political repercussions.

Roberts was questioned on Tuesday on the deletion of Robinson's article, and he said: “I would like to think that it is a continuous awakening for everyone and take a step back and appreciate the people who shaped our country. This country needs an alarm.”

When asked what type of awakening, he could only refer to Robinson in the face of something much more difficult at a bygone era:

“I think that a awakening to sacrifice – we are talking about Jackie Robinson today, right? What he had to endure, what he had to go through, hatred, to continue to persevere for the greatest good. And now, the context on what is difficult in life, individually, is not even close to what is happening in the 1960s and in the 70s and beyond.”

Conversely, the NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a hero of full-fledged civil rights, suggested in a speech on Tuesday to the Dodgers and the Rockies of Colorado that the fight against segregation takes place, via the Dodgers site::

“Jackie had an idea of what we had to face,” he said. “We had to face segregation. In many ways, we always face it. But it's worth it. This certainly makes people respect us as a country when they see that there are tensions there, and the right people try to do the right thing. ”

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