The Chicago Cubs have banned a fan for life after concluding he had made a racist gesture on camera during a game.
In a statement Wednesday, the Cubs said they had reviewed the footage, identified the fan, and determined he violated their code of conduct.
“This was bad judgment on the part of the individual. Whether sophomoric behavior or some other stunt, to use that in connection with a respected journalist, who happens to be African American, and doing his job to deliver enjoyment to our fans is ignorant. It has no place [at] Wrigley Field,” Cubs spokesman Julian Green said.
“There is no extra incentive to be proactive and take action against racism and hate speech,” Green said. “When you see something wrong and offensive, you take swift action period,” he added.
The fan’s gesture, which aired Tuesday during the broadcast of the Chicago Cubs and Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field, caused debate over whether the gesture was intentionally racist or part of an adolescent “circle game.”
Crane Kenney, the Cubs president of business operations, said the Cubs officials determined the gesture was more than likely used in a “racist way.” Kenney said the fan could be prosecuted for trespassing if he attempts to attend another game at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs failed to reach the fan over the phone, but sent him a letter informing him of their decision.
The “OK” symbol flashed during the Cubs broadcast has been co-opted by white nationalists as a white power symbol. In 2017, 4chan trolls made the “OK” hand gesture a white supremacist symbol as a joke and it was later embraced more seriously.
The Christchurch shooter flashed the symbol during his court hearing in March.
