The all-black Jackie Robinson West Little League team was stripped of its 2014 national title. An investigation revealed that “team officials had falsified boundaries so they could add ineligible players to the roster.” As Stephen D. Keener, president and CEO of Little League International, said: “It is a sad day for a bunch of kids who we have come to really like … who did nothing wrong.” But “we cannot tolerate the actions of some of the adults involved here.”
Some of the parents of the players said they were “blindsided” by the news. Venisa Green, mother of Brandon, said the decision was especially disheartening because the team was part of efforts to keep children off the streets of Chicago. When she spoke to the press, she wondered aloud if the race of the children had anything to do with the decision. Reverend Jesse Jackson also asked, “Is this about boundaries or race?” In Washington, White House spokesman Josh Earnest dodged the race question and said, “The fact is, you know, some dirty dealing by some adults doesn’t take anything away from the accomplishments of those young men.”