When the Dodgers visited Trump at the White House, I posted the following message on social media:

As a Dodgers fan, I now know how everyone who bought a Tesla before 2024 feels.

I wasn’t kidding about the Tesla part. Just like a Tesla owner who’s stuck in a long-term lease, I had bought tickets for Dodgers games this season. One of them is their first home game after the White House visit. I expect to see protestors around the ballpark (and would be disappointed if there weren’t).

What is a Dodgers fan who believes in democracy, the rule of law, and human rights supposed to do?

The easy answer is to boycott. I say easy because if you have no or little financial interest, it’s easy to stop supporting a company or person. I had no problem deleting Kanye West songs I paid a few dollars for. It’s a different story if you’ve already spent hundreds of dollars in advance for tickets. If I don’t show up for a game, the Dodgers still have my money. Sell the tickets? The Dodgers still have my money.

Many freedom-loving people face the same dilemma. We may need to shop at retailers owned by regime-supporting oligarchs because they are the only affordable options in our area, or they have a specific product we need. We have MAGA bosses we need to work with to hold onto a job in an economy Trump is worsening. Or we have family members and friends who have given into the cult, but we don’t feel we can give up on them.

I also have that same nagging feeling about us isolating ourselves into digital ghettos. When we completely remove ourselves from our Republican neighbors, it’s easier for them to dehumanize us and justify the horrible things they can do.

That leads to the other reason why I’m going to those games. I don’t want to surrender the Dodgers to MAGA. If decent people leave, guess who will take their place. Look at the comments to my posts on Threads and TikTok, and you can see it happening. We’ve already ceded too many things we value to MAGA. We lost the government to them. They took over our flag, anthem, and even what it means to be American. If you’re a Christian, they hijacked your religion. Do we want MAGA to push us out of our favorite baseball team?

Tyrants aren’t satisfied with controlling the government. They want to control every aspect of your life. They want you to think only about them. They want to be the only source of your happiness. Big Brother doesn’t just watch you, it forces you to watch it. The White House visit was another tool for the tyrant to worm his way into our lives, imprint himself on another beloved organization, and undermine a place of community. 

So going to those Dodgers games will be my show of resistance. I’m letting MAGA know they can’t force me out of places I love, and community can resist rancor and division.

That doesn’t mean I accept the Dodgers’ decision. I wrote the following email to them expressing my disapproval of their visit.

I am a lifelong Dodgers fan. I inherited my love of baseball from my mom and passed it on to my children and granddaughter. That is why I am very disappointed by the Dodgers’ visit to the White House today.

In normal times, meeting the President of the United States would be considered a tremendous honor. Regardless of political differences, we can come together to celebrate the achievement of winning a championship. But we don’t live in normal times.

His actions harm Southern Californians by intentionally crashing the economy, threatening members of our community with deportation, and withdrawing funding from programs millions depend on to survive. I noticed your website has a link to DEI. I’m sure he might have rescinded the invitation had he known you continue to support this valuable and necessary program.

Even the ceremony itself wasn’t normal. He disrespected our state’s two duly elected senators right in front of you. I could tell from the photos how uncomfortable a number of players were to be there. This could be harmful to the team’s chemistry. Given the president’s reputation for ruining a team’s fortunes after getting his support (ask the Kansas City Chiefs), you might have jinxed yourselves out of a World Series repeat.

Most of all, you angered many of your fans. Your visit came two days after tens of thousands flooded the streets throughout Southern California to protest his destructive policies. The visit also comes eight days before Jackie Robinson Day. How are you supposed to celebrate this great Dodger and American when you shook hands and gave a jersey to a man who pulled Jackie Robinson’s information from government websites?

As a lifelong Dodgers fan, you put me in a difficult situation. I purchased tickets for six games this season and got an Ohtani jersey from my son as a Christmas gift. How am I supposed to cheer for my team after this? On Threads, I posted, “As a Dodgers fan, I now know how everyone who bought a Tesla before 2024 feels.” You might want to read the comments and reposts to see I’m not alone in my disappointment.

This was an unnecessary trip. It comes at the worst possible time as tariffs and a falling stock market are crashing our economy. And it gained the Dodgers nothing but division, scorn, and the inevitable protests and boycotts to come. Understand that this White House visit goes beyond sports or even politics. By posing for a photo-op with someone who is destroying everything America stands for, you’ve tarnished the reputation of a proud organization and undermined what makes the Dodgers the soul of Los Angeles.

Will they listen or write back? Who knows? But I let my voice be heard.

In the years to come, many of us will be forced into the same type of dilemma I have with the Dodgers. We will have to make difficult decisions on where we go, how we spend our money, and who we interact with. Even after the regime topples, we will still have to deal with the consequences of our choices. There are no easy answers, despite the protestations of those who don’t walk in our shoes. And they will eventually face their own dilemmas. Each of us have to navigate these times and make our own difficult choices. All we can do is follow our conscience, hold fast to our values even if we have to hold our noses, and do the best we can.