The Los Angeles Dodgers have received backlash from angry fans over a recent photo the team posted on its social media accounts showing first baseman Adrian Gonzalez handing a Dodgers jersey to the president of Mexico.
President Enrique Peña Nieto has recently been mired with allegations of corruption and calls for resignation over the disappearance of 43 Mexican college students in September.
Peña Nieto's last name was on the back of the customized jersey, along with Gonzalez's own jersey number, 23.
One photo circulating on social media had been altered to show the number 43 to represent the students.
The original picture the Dodgers posted on Twitter and Instagram can be seen below.
“I cannot believe it happened. Pena Nieto is a mafia, a pure mafia,” said Mariaetta Salvo, who was disgusted by the photo.
The post itself shared the news of how Gonzalez, an American with parents who are from Mexico, was being given Mexico’s National Sports Award. But that did not stop fans from venting their feelings on Twitter.
News
Top news of the day
“Way to appeal to your Mexican fans...Dodgers you gave a jersey to the butcher of Mexico,” said one tweet.
“Are you guys that clueless? Do you not see what is happening in Mexico.. Dodgers Take it down...,” said another tweet.
The Dodgers front office had no comment about the photo, and Gonzalez did not respond to any questions about the photo.
So far, one student has been positively identified, confirming what Mexico's attorney general told parents in November: that the students were rounded up in a conflict with police and had been killed and incinerated by a local drug gang.
