Nationals to visit White House on Monday to celebrate first World Series title

Cassandra Negley
Updated
CORRECTS ID TO FIRST BASEMAN RYAN ZIMMERMAN, NOT CATCHER YAN GOMES - Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman celebrates with the trophy after Game 7 of the baseball World Series against the Houston Astros, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019, in Houston. The Nationals won 6-2 to win the series. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
The World Series champion Washington Nationals will celebrate at the White House less than a week after winning the title. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

The Washington Nationals were extended an offer to visit the White House shortly after winning their first World Series and accepted. The team will visit on Monday, the Washington Post reported, less than a week after winning the title.

It is an unusually quick turnaround and eliminates the weeks or months of “will they, won’t they” speculation for the team as a whole and individuals. The Nationals, who won Game 7 on Wednesday to clinch the title, will celebrate with a parade in Washington, D.C., on Saturday.

Per the Post, visiting the White House on Monday fit best with the team’s schedule since players were still in town. The ceremony is set for 1:15 p.m.

President Donald Trump attended Game 5 and was emphatically booed by fans at Nationals Park in The District. They also booed during Game 7 while watching the game from the park when a Trump campaign ad aired.

Polarization in visiting the White House

Visiting the white House became a regular aspect of winning a title when Ronald Reagan was in office, but under Donald Trump it has become controversial. Many teams decline to go due to vast conflicting political beliefs and others haven’t been invited at all. And then there’s the whole fast food aspect.

Trump hosted the 2017 Houston Astros six months after the World Series in May 2018. He hosted the 2018 Boston Red Sox the May following the championship as well, though manager Alex Cora and many of the team’s players of color skipped the experience.

Washington sports are on the rise and it shows perfectly how Trump approaches these invites. The Washington Capitals won the 2018 Stanley Cup and visited the White House in March on an off day in the 2019 schedule.

The Washington Mystics won their first title in franchise history last month and have not yet been invited. Trump did not even congratulate the home team on Twitter for the title. The only women’s team to visit the White House since Trump took office was Baylor, which won the NCAA championship last spring.

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