The Red Sox organization was caught off guard when the Department of Homeland Security shared a social media post that showed Fenway Park.
When asked about the photo at an event on Thursday by reporters from GBH News and the Boston Globe, Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy offered no comment except to say the organization was “totally surprised.”
“We didn’t know about it,” Kennedy said.
The post showed a photo of the ballpark with “Worth Fighting For” written over the image, paired with the caption “Our nation and our people are worth fighting for.” Tuesday’s post was shared on the department’s official account on X, formerly Twitter.
Local Democrats have pushed back against the affiliating the Boston landmark with DHS.
That picture was posted the same day of the first game of the Red Sox three-game homestand against rival New York Yankees.
Our nation and our people are worth fighting for. pic.twitter.com/D6zw3r4dhU
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) April 21, 2026
GBH News reached out to DHS, which oversees agencies including U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. GBH News asked if the post was meant to align with the Yankees visit to Fenway and if the department had given either the Red Sox or Major League Baseball a heads-up about it.
DHS didn’t answer either of those questions, but a department spokesperson responded with a statement.
“America’s homeland and the rich heritage of its national pastime should fill every citizen with a sense of pride,” the statement read. “Our unique achievements in sports and culture are worth defending, and DHS will continue to promote Americanism in the public square.”
Reaction to the image has been mixed, and especially negative among local critics of the Trump administration.
Sen. Ed Markey responded to the post with what appears to be a picture of President Donald Trump in a Yankees uniform before his time in office with the caption “Abolish ICE.” U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton invoked Red Sox great David Ortiz in his own response online, writing “This is our f***ing city, and nobody is going to dictate our freedom.”
This is not the first time the Trump administration’s use of sports imagery has been met with resistance. Last month, the White House’s official X account posted a video that showed big hits in football mixed with what appear to be explosions from U.S. strikes in Iran. Several of the players shown in the video pushed back against it.
