The Chicago Cubs didn’t wait long to take action against the fan who flashed a racist gesture associated with white supremacy during NBC Sports Chicago’s broadcast.
According to a statement from team president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, the fan in question was identified and banned for life from Wrigley Field.
Viewers noticed the incident during Tuesday night’s game against the Marlins. As former Cubs player and current NBCS Chicago reporter Doug Glanville was doing his in-game report, a man in a Cubs hoodie could be seen flashing an “OK” symbol, which is commonly known as a “white power” sign.
The Cubs initially released a statement that they were investigating the incident and looking to identify the fan.
On Wednesday, Epstein told reporters that the fan had been barred from Wrigley Field for the “disgusting” gesture. He said via nbcchicago.com:
“The incident last night is truly disgusting. It gave me shivers to watch that, to see that take place at Wrigley Field. Appropriately, we’ve made clear how egregious and unacceptable that behavior is, and there’s no place for that in society, in baseball, and Wrigley Field. The person responsible for that gesture will never be welcomed back at Wrigley Field.”
Glanville released his own statement, thanking the Cubs for acting diligently in their response.
Before this happened, MLB was already investigating racist messages directed at Cubs reliever Carl Edwards Jr. on social media.
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