Sports Q: Should the Red Sox go to the White House?
"It’s a no-win situation."
Welcome to Boston.com’s Sports Q, our daily conversation, initiated by you and moderated by Chad Finn, about a compelling topic in Boston sports. Here’s how it works: You submit questions to Chad through Twitter, Facebook, and email. He’ll pick one each weekday to answer, then we’ll take the discussion to the comments. Chad will stop by several times per day to navigate. But you drive the conversation.The Red Sox could have saved themselves a lot of trouble if they’d just declined going to the White House like the Warriors did. Now it looks like they could have a team split along racial lines. Why would they do it this way? – Ken R.
It’s a no-win situation in terms of public perception no matter what they had decided to do. If they somehow had tried to make it mandatory (not that I believe this was ever something that was considered), it would have looked insensitive to Alex Cora and his feelings about how President Trump has treated Puerto Rico, and it wouldn’t have been fair to any other players who had their reasons for not wanting to go. If they declined the invitation, it would have been a big story, one that the usual sports radio suspects would have beaten into the ground more than they are now. This was the best way to handle it; let each individual make his own choice, and no matter what that choice is, respect the right to make it.
As for any effect this is going to have on the team, I’ll put it slightly above none, despite the quest (again, usual suspects) to turn David Price’s tweet into something divisive. I wrote about this over the weekend after covering the series with the White Sox in Chicago. The Red Sox players, no matter race or background, seem to have a good rapport with each other. The bearded relievers tend to congregate, and the Spanish-speaking players have a good time playing cards and busting on each other before the game, but nothing looks like a clique. I’m sure some guys annoy each other, but that’s how it’s going to be in any situation where you’re around the same people every day. It’s a good group of guys that seem to like each other, and they’re playing pretty good baseball right now. This isn’t going to have an effect.
What does everyone else think? How should the Red Sox have handled the decision to go (or not go) to the White House? I’ll hear you in the comments.
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