Professional sports teams avoiding Trump hotels
Organization’s values used as justification
A year ago, the Los Angeles Dodgers found different accommodations than their usual digs in Chicago — Trump International Hotel and Tower — for Major League Baseball’s National League Championship Series against the Cubs.
The change came after at least one Dodgers player (Adrian Gonzalez) refused to stay at the skyscraper that bears U.S. President Donald Trump’s name. But the Dodgers are hardly alone in seeking other accommodations on the road among sports teams.
The Washington Post reported Thursday that no team — out of 105 franchises responding to the survey across the four major sports leagues — confirmed that it stays at a Trump hotel on the road.
According to the report, 17 teams stated they had stayed at a Trump hotel within the past seven years, and at least 16 found other lodging after Trump’s White House bid began in 2015. Eighteen teams declined to respond, and 71 responded that their respective teams hadn’t stayed at a Trump property within the past seven years.
The hardest hit Trump hotel appears to be Trump SoHo, where at least 12 NBA teams had stayed previously. A person with knowledge of the Milwaukee Bucks’ decision to drop Trump SoHo told The Washington Post the Trump organization “was seen as not reflecting the franchise’s values, and some players were not comfortable patronizing its properties.”