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The Cubs banned the fan who flashed the OK sign during Tuesday night’s broadcast on NBC Sports Chicago at Wrigley Field. Obviously a lot of people weren’t aware that a simple OK gesture is now associated with white supremacy, but sadly it is.
What we then had on Wednesday and Thursday was an outrage to the outrage. The Cubs and NBC Sports Chicago sent out press releases after the incident went viral and Doug Glanville, who was in the TV shot, also released a statement. Many people claimed the Cubs were overreacting and that the fan was simply doing the circle game, where you get punched if you look at the other person doing the OK sign below his or her waist.
Yet, the Cubs were very much aggressive and outspoken about what happened. Maybe they were just looking for some good PR, as the banning of the fan came on the same day that the team activated Addison Russell to the 25-man roster. He just finished serving a 40-game suspension for violating MLB”s domestic violence policy after his ex-wife Melisa Reidy wrote about the abuse she suffered during their marriage. Not only is Russell back on the team, but he’s shown little to no remorse for his actions. That’s a whole different story, though.
Theo Epstein said he was disgusted and Crane Kenney made it clear that after the team’s investigation they determined the intent from the fan wasn’t just playing a game.
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Yet, there is one thing that needs to be cleared up. First, on Wednesday I did write that during Kenney’s interview on 670 The Score he revealed that the Cubs went through the fan’s social media to determine if the fan may or may not be associated with the alt-right, or white supremacy. Basically anything that signals a certain view point that identifies with the group of people who use the OK sign in a racist manner.
There was a question asked that led to a vague answer from Kenney, but although Kenney makes a reference to “social media being our friend” it remains unclear if they actually did go through the fan’s social media pages.
ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reports that the team did identify the fan and tried to reach him by phone. Yet, there was no response. So, instead they sent him a letter, telling him he was banned from Wrigley Field.
We’re probably never going to know what the Cubs actually investigated, as they haven’t shared many details, but Rogers did discuss one other aspect that may have led the Cubs to reach the conclusion that the fan wasn’t just joking around.
According to Rogers, in unaired video footage, the fan is seen possibly flashing a second white power sign.
Via the ADL:
White supremacists, primarily on the West Coast, may use a two-handed hand sign consisting of one hand showing or flashing two fingers and the other hand showing or flashing three fingers. Together, they signify the number 23, a numeric symbol for W (“White”). This itself is often shorthand for the numeric symbol 23/16, which stands for “White Power.”
But again, even Rogers was vague in that description.
However, if you truly believe the Cubs used this opportunity for good PR, then that fan can take legal action, sue the team, or just defend himself from being called a racist.
There’s also the chance that the fan doesn’t want to take this further because he’s actually guilty of what he’s accused of doing. I guess time will tell if that fan chooses to fight this, or accept the consequences of what he did.
