In a divided Washington, Nationals' World Series run unites

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington is normally a city defined by its divisions, be they political, racial or economic.

But the unlikely World Series run of the Washington Nationals has become something truly unexpected: a unifying force in a city that hasn't known much unity recently.

Nationals red and the trademark swirling W have become common sights across the District of Columbia. On the night of Game 1 in Houston against the Astros, a racially diverse crowd of thousands turned out in the midst of a cold rainstorm to watch the game on television together in Nationals Park.

"There's no politics in baseball," said Beth Leeth, a Virginia resident who came to the park with her husband and four children. She continued the "League of Their Own" analogy by adding, "There IS crying sometimes. We've been Nats fans long enough that there's been some tears over the Nationals. But not this year."

Judith Gilbert, a 25-year DC resident, said, "You can feel it. It's palpable in the community. It doesn't matter what your political persuasion is at the moment. It's helping us deal with the other stuff that's really terribly frightening that's going on politically. This is something that's an antidote to that."

As the nation's capital, Washington is split by the passions and anger surrounding Donald Trump's presidency and the impeachment inquiry in the Democratic-led House. As a city of 700,000 people, Washington is overwhelmingly Democratic. Still, a fast-moving gentrification wave has produced a host of racial and economic tensions with longtime black residents fearing that DC's "Chocolate City" identity is being erased.

Nationals fever has even popped up inside Trump's White House. Trump said Thursday he planned to attend Game 5 on Sunday if there is one.

On Oct. 17, at the start...

source https://www.chron.com/news/us/article/In-a-divided-Washington-Nationals-World-Series-14561328.php