‘That’s why we wear USA’: US players embrace military ties before WBC final against Venezuela

2026-03-17 - 12:49

USA and Venezuela play for title on Tuesday night Navy Seal gave locker room talk to Americans Venezuelans dance and sing before games The US will play Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic on Tuesday, a meeting that comes after recent tensions between the two countries. In January, Donald Trump ordered a military operation that captured Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. Since then, the US has launched a war against Iran, during which the American players have paid tribute to their country’s military. Players have saluted each other after victories and the team invited Robert J O’Neill, a former Navy Seal who claimed he killed Osama bin Laden, to give a locker room speech. Two of the team’s pitchers, Paul Skenes and Griffin Jax, played at the Air Force Academy and have spoken of the importance of honoring the military. The choice of O’Neill received pushback as he called men who voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election as “my concubines” and been criticized by some for talking about secret military operations in public. Continue reading...