After stirring up controversy with remarks about Dodgers fans, Pete Crow-Armstrong expressed to the California Post that he anticipates facing loud boos when he arrives at Dodger Stadium on Friday night.
However, if you think this reaction will make the Cubs outfielder rethink his divisive comments, you might want to reconsider.
“I don’t triple down,” Crow-Armstrong stated. “But I have no regrets.”
Earlier this year, Crow-Armstrong, who hails from Los Angeles, upset many locals by labeling Dodgers fans as Fairweather supporters.
He noted the commitment of Cubs fans while suggesting that Boys in Blue followers often show up to the stadium mainly for social media moments.
A few days later, despite the backlash, he reiterated his views.
“I grew up attending Dodgers games when they weren’t always winning,” he reflected. “Fans there seem to shift in and out based on the team’s success. That experience with Giants fans has stuck with me since childhood. Being in those stands often felt like a constant wave of disgust, which I didn’t encounter at other parks.”
Speaking to the Post for the first time since his candid remarks, Crow-Armstrong affirmed that his stance remains unchanged ahead of his first game against the Dodgers this season.
“People who claim to be Dodgers fans often don’t really know baseball,” Crow-Armstrong asserted, drawing from his experience as a Harvard-Westlake School graduate. “They focus more on the event than the team itself.”
“No disrespect to the true Dodgers fans who are genuinely invested, as every team has them,” he acknowledged. “But that’s my perspective.”
He further expressed the belief that many attendees in Los Angeles head to Chavez Ravine just to capture picture-perfect moments, similar to attending a Lakers game for the ambiance.
“That’s fair game,” he added. “But Cubs fans are there through thick and thin—even in freezing temperatures.”
Crow-Armstrong mentioned that he’s even received threats stemming from his initial comments.
“All offseason, people warned me about the backlash, saying they’d remember my words about Giants fans. ‘Just be prepared,'” he shared.
Nonetheless, he noted that he didn’t take the threats too seriously.
The Cubs and Dodgers are set to clash at 7:15 p.m., with Crow-Armstrong starting in center field and batting eighth.
He anticipates plenty of banter from the crowd but is ready to respond in kind.
“If I give them something to talk about, I hope they capitalize on it, and I’ll do the same,” he concluded.
