Players have every right to visit the
White House after a title victory. But the rush to do so angered many fans in a city where the President is reviled
This past Saturday marked a monumental day in DC sports history. The scrappy underdog
Washington Nationals, at one point 19-31 and now improbable World Series champions, paraded down Constitution Avenue as approximately 750,000 fans showered the team with affection. When Nats fans weren’t screaming “FIGHT FINISHED”, they were rhythmically interlacing their fingers to the team’s unlikely anthem, Baby Shark, for the millionth time. Beaming smiles and cheers were everywhere as manager Davey Martinez spoke of “bumpy roads leading to beautiful places”; the longest tenured National Ryan Zimmerman teared up as he thanked DC, and pinch hitter Brian Dozier took off his shirt and preened around the stage to the Latin pop hit, Calma. It was a remarkable day for Nats fans to bottle forever and the latest example of how sports can be a unifying force
Forty-eight hours later everything changed. The Nationals went to the White House. It was way too soon.