Chicago Cubs place indefinite ban on fan who flashed ‘offensive hand gesture’ during broadcast

The Chicago Cubs have indefinitely banned a fan from Wrigley Field after he made what appeared to be a “white power” symbol behind a black reporter during Tuesday’s broadcast. 

Crane Kenney, the team’s president of business operations, said in a statement Wednesday night that an investigation concluded that the fan had violated the Cubs’ long-standing guest code of conduct.

{mosads}“As a result, after repeated attempts to reach this individual by phone, we sent a letter to the individual notifying him of our findings and our decision that, effectively immediately, he will not be permitted on the grounds of Wrigley Field or other ticketed areas indefinitely,” Kenney said in the statement. “We further communicated if he attempts to enter Wrigley Field or other ticketed areas he may be subject to prosecution for criminal trespass to property.”

The Cubs did not publicly identify the man who was seen using the “offensive hand gesture” behind reporter Doug Glanville, who is black, during live commentary for the game against the Miami Marlins. 

The hand gesture seen in the video is similar to the symbol for the “OK” sign, a gesture that has become popular in recent years among far-right extremists and white supremacists who use it to make the letter shapes for “w” and “p,” which stand for “white power.” 

Am I seeing things or is this jack wagon behind Glanville flashing the white supremacy sign? @SarahSpain @BleacherNation pic.twitter.com/6p7d79vIVR

— Chad Rehan (@ChadRehan) May 7, 2019

Kenney said Wednesday that the MLB team was investigating the “ignorant and repulsive behavior.”

Glanville, a baseball analyst and former Cubs outfielder, applauded the Cubs and NBC Sports for their response.

“They have reached out to me and are supportive of my role in the broadcast and continue to have a desire to uphold an inclusive environment at Wrigley Field,” Glanville wrote in a statement. “They have displayed sensitivity as to how the implications of this would affect me as a person of color.” 

My statement regarding last night. @Cubs #Cubs @NBCSCubs @NBCSports @NBCSChicago https://t.co/W3reObcHLn pic.twitter.com/HLh3NXHMdX

— Doug Glanville (@dougglanville) May 8, 2019