The Nationals, in visiting the White House soon after winning their first World Series title, have "stepped into a bigger battle in the political arena -- one that will not end anytime soon," according to David Nakamura of the WASHINGTON POST. The "fallout over the politicized nature of the team's visit" has become the "latest flash point in the all-encompassing culture wars that have defined" President Trump's tenure. There is "no such thing as an apolitical event in the Trump era, when even once-routine White House photo ops have turned into referendums on the values of those who embrace Trump or reject him" (WASHINGTON POST, 11/6).
UNNECESSARY RISK: THE UNDEFEATED's Clinton Yates wrote the Nationals "put themselves, as an organization, in a position to become a political tool for no reason or gain." Yates: "All politics aside, it was an unnecessary risk." The entire situation was "particularly quizzical because the Lerners, who own the team, had reportedly gone to great lengths not to make it awkward for the president when they chose not to sit with him in Game 5" of the World Series. Given the "diversity of the team's fan base," this was "clearly an unforced error" (THEUNDEFEATED.com, 11/5).
