Chicago Cubs Ban Fan Who Appeared To Flash White Power Hand Signal During Live Broadcast

The Chicago Cubs organization has indefinitely banned a fan who appeared to make a hand gesture associated with the white power movement during Tuesday’s broadcast, NBC News reports.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, during Tuesday night’s game between the Cubs and Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field, cameras captured an alarming scene. As the cameras cut to analyst and former Cub Doug Glanville, who is African American, a fan seated directly behind him appeared to have placed his hand slightly behind Glanville’s left shoulder. His fingers are arranged with his thumb and index finger touching, other fingers straight.

The gesture may look to the casual observer like the “OK” gesture. However, a Yahoo Sports writer noted that the sign has become a symbol of the white power movement. Once intended as an act of trolling to get attention, members of the movement have since co-opted the sign and made it their own.

At least, that’s how the Chicago Cubs organization sees it. On Wednesday, the organization promised an investigation, and on Thursday, the team concluded that the fan did, indeed, flash a white power sign. That violates the team’s Guest Code of Conduct, said the team’s president of business operations, Crane Kenney, in a statement.

The fan, whose name has not been revealed as of this writing, is now banned indefinitely from Wrigley Field.

“If he attempts to enter Wrigley Field or other ticketed areas he may be subject to prosecution for criminal trespass to property.”

Doug Glanville, for his part, concluded that the gesture was aimed at him because he’s black. In a statement, he thanked the Cubs organization for having his back.

“They have displayed sensitivity as to how the implications of this would affect me as a person of color.”

According to The Chicago Sun-Times, the organization did a bit of detective work in order to identify the fan. His seat number was easy enough to determine based on Glanville’s position relative to the seats behind him. The organization determined that that particular seat had been purchased through ticket re-seller StubHub, which means there was a name, address, and phone number attached to the transaction. However, after “multiple” failed attempts to reach the fan by phone, the organization sent him a letter stating that he was banned indefinitely from the Friendly Confines.

The Sun-Times claims that Wrigley Field has developed a reputation for hosting racist fans. For example, last September a fight broke out in the bleachers after fans hurled racist insults during Hispanic Heritage Night.