Race Baiting in Red Sox Nation [OPINION]

Red Sox Nation is under attack by a race baiter who is calling out white players and team officials who plan to attend a ceremony at the White House on Thursday celebrating the team's 2018 world championship.

Nine players described by freelance writer Britni de la Cretaz as "players of color" have opted to skip the event for whatever reason, and Cretaz is somewhat surprised that "not one white player is standing in solidarity with the players of color, who have almost universally declined the invitation. "

I'm confused. Why have the "players of color" declined the invitation to attend the White House ceremony anyway, and why would white players be expected to skip it in "solidarity" with them? None of this has been made clear to me.

Britni de la Cretaz has written stuff for such publications as Bitch Media, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Rolling Stone, and wrote about "racism in the Boston baseball and sports media scene" for DigBoston. She bills herself as a "freelance writer whose work focuses on the intersection of sports and gender."

I suspect that at least some of the nine players that have publicly stated their plans to skip Thursday's event will do so for political reasons. Whatever. I suspect that de la Cretaz' objection to white players attending the event also has a lot to do with politics that includes an unfortunate anti-white bias.

It's unfortunate that members of Red Sox Nation, many of whom would have traded a limb to see their team win a championship not that long ago, are being robbed of an opportunity to be fully represented at the White House. The players owe it to the league, their team, and their fans to be in Washington on Thursday.

By the way, a quick check of the players who plan to boycott the event shows that roughly two-thirds were not born in the United States, yet they enjoy the celebrity and success that comes with the opportunities afforded them here.

It seems to me that rejecting an offer from the President of the United States to visit the White House is a slap at the hand that feeds you and the fans that pay steep ticket prices to support lofty salaries paid to these unappreciative, spoiled athletes.

Suck it up, buttercups. Go to Washington like men and represent.

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.