Mookie Betts won the World Series in 2024, visited the White House with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and moved on. This year, he is not going. The reason, he says, is simple: he has a new baby and wants to be home.
What Betts wants people to understand is that the decision has nothing to do with politics, and that the expectation that it should say something political reflects a problem he sees with how athletes are viewed in American culture.
"I don't know why the world sees athletes as these political figures or these people that can make change or these people that can do this, that, and the other. We go out and play our sport," Betts told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.
Betts, 33, is in his 13th major league season and has built one of the more decorated careers in baseball. He is an eight-time All-Star, a six-time Gold Glove winner, a four-time World Series champion, and a former American League MVP. His career batting average sits at .288 with 302 home runs and 944 RBIs. This season has been harder. He is hitting .235 with 11 home runs and 31 RBIs through the first half.
The interview was conducted on behalf of LGND, his glove company. The White House question came up in the context of a broader discussion about what athletes owe the public beyond their performance on the field.
Betts acknowledged that athletes face criticism no matter what they do when it comes to political decisions. Attending a White House visit draws backlash from one side. Skipping it draws backlash from another.
"Athletes, we're in positions where, you know, especially myself, where I'm kind of damned if I do or damned if I don't," he said.
Given that dynamic, Betts said he decided to stop trying to manage other people's reactions and focus on what he actually wanted.
"So instead of trying to make other people happy, it's let me just make myself happy, you know, make myself happy and get to spend some time with my family. Like I said, I got a new baby, so get to spend some time with her," Betts said.
He added: "I don't really worry about it too much. Like I said, my stance is really that if I'm going to make everybody mad, make somebody mad, then at least I'm gonna make myself happy. So, that's where I'm at."
On the broader question of athletes and politics, Betts did not dismiss the idea that some players are genuinely interested in public affairs. "I'm sure there are some guys in there that that love politics and want to be in it, but I'm not sure why the world sees us that way. But it kind of is what it is."
The Dodgers are pursuing a third consecutive World Series title. Betts is expected to be a central part of that run in the second half of the season.
