​The following essay is a True Blue LA Special Comment, an op-ed containing the analysis and opinions of Associate Editor Michael Elizondo. Said views are his own and do not represent the views of True Blue LA, SB Nation, Vox Media, or any other subsidiary.Seeing Game 7 at Rogers Centre was one of the highlights of my life. After basking in the championship afterglow and finishing mandated copy on Yoshinobu Yamamoto winning MVP, I had a single, disquieting thought before drifting off to sleep for a quick nap before my return flight to San Francisco, which sat on the tarmac for three hours.“Oh God, I’m going to have to revisit “The Useful Idiots,” aren’t I…”When the Dodgers were victorious in arguably the greatest single game in history, the vibes were immaculate, unless you were a Toronto Blue Jays fan. As I have gotten older, a hard truth has emerged. The Dodgers are sometimes a hard organization to love. Children and dogs can love things unconditionally with their whole heart. Adults gain the wisdom to know better.For every win, like fulfilling the pledge to immigrants affected by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) or Pride Night; there’s a baffling own-goal, be it the Gondola, concrete falling on patrons at Dodger Stadium, how it treats its tour guides, ongoing issues with stadium security, a $70 Ohtani souvenir soda cup, or the subject we must reluctantly address today.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThis topic is one that one might try to shunt into the lens of politics. This story is not about politics; we are not debating environmental, infrastructure, or tax policy. We are not talking about reproductive health, or jobs, or any of the big issues for which we use sport as a balm. Today, at this story’s core, we discuss simple morality.Many of us who attain what we may and forget those who help us along the line, we’ve got to remember that there are so many others to pull along the way. The farther they go, the further we all go.*This story has clear, bright lines between right and wrong. If you want to pretend otherwise, I believe it is beyond my or this website’s ability to help you. I am proudly intolerant of fascism or those supporting fascism.Like a shoe that finally dropped, the Dodgers confirmed on July 9th what they had announced six months earlier. Edward Lewis of the California Post confirmed the story that the team was returning to Washington, D.C., on the July 23rd off day after the Philadelphia series to visit President Donald Trump and celebrate the 2025 World Series title.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTo understand the self-inflicted controversy, we return to the beginning of the year to refresh our collective memory.On January 31, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times asked Dave Roberts at Dodgers FanFest whether the team would accept a likely forthcoming invitation to attend the White House in 2026. Roberts could have said nothing, made no comment, or even defer