Wrigley slurs and scuffle require more than words from MLB
By Adrian Burgos
There was ugliness at Wrigley Field on Monday night, serving as another reminder that the phrase “stick to sports” is impossible for Latinos and other people of color. It was a troubling incident made worse by racial slurs targeting Latino fans seated in the bleachers of the Friendly Confines.
On Hispanic Heritage Night. Even with security present.
The brawl wasn’t just another alcohol-induced melee. Nor was it merely a case of simple ignorance. The shouted slurs were not new. Many of our Latino grandparents and perhaps even earlier generations heard them. A young fan screaming these slurs at Latinos is evidence that those hateful words and ideas are still being passed down from one generation to the next.
The backdrop of Major League Baseball’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month is its season-long #PonleAcento campaign. The league and its individual teams released a series of videos on social media platforms showcasing how Latino players decided to carry the accent mark and the tilde (~) on their uniforms.
The act of putting on the accent ensures Spanish names are properly spelled. It also acknowledges their heritage. It’s visibility for the 30 percent of MLB players who are Latino. It’s a statement by MLB and its players that representation matters.
Now this: a hateful incident given wide visibility by those same social media platforms. It’s a challenge not just for MLB, but for Latino fans, who could be forgiven for wondering if this is the inevitable backlash of increased representation.
After this incident, where does MLB put the emphasis?
Heritage vs. Hate
MLB’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations are an effort to make Latinos feel more welcomed at ballparks, increase stadium attendance among Latinos and build a loyal fan base. The Sept. 24 game versus the Pittsburgh Pirates was the Cubs’ planned celebration of Hispanic Heritage Night. The Cubs sought to welcome Latino fans at Wrigley, offering specially-priced tickets and “Los Cubs” shirts.
A statement by Cubs Vice President of Communications Julian Green reiterated the team’s “zero tolerance” policy when it comes to “fighting and insensitive language and behavior.” Green also stated that those involved in the melee were “informed by police and security that they are not welcomed back to the stadium for 2018.”
Unfortunately, these words stand in contrast to what was seen and heard on the video.
The brawl that unfolded after the game is unnerving. The racist slurs screamed at the Latino fans were shouted in full view and earshot of security personnel.
The video of the incident starts mid-melee with a group of fans exchanging punches and insults. No indication is given as to what started the fight. Security separates the groups. Then one man and a Latino fan start exchanging words again. Security steps in, the fans begin gathering their belongings and then another verbal and physical altercation starts, replete with the f-word and hateful slurs meant to target the Latino fans based on their identity. To be sure, words and fists were exchanged by both sides. But the words used on that particular night seem specific in their intent.
Not-so-friendly confines
The stakes of the moment are made clear by a Latino female fan who security rescues from physical and verbal harm. She stands on the bleachers and points at each member of the white security team.
“You and you and you will never know what it’s like,” she says.
A few seconds later, a Latino fan involved in the altercation accuses security of “taking the white people’s side.” The fight appears to be ending when the non-Latino fan bellows the same slurs, putting his hands on either side of his mouth to amplify his voice and ensure he’s heard. It’s only then that he realizes he’s being recorded. (If you feel the need to fully absorb these words, you can watch the videos here.)
It’s a telling moment. He feels safe enough to shout those words next to security personnel. But when he realizes his actions might be seen outside of the stadium, he accosts the person recording the fight. Security also instructs this person to “put your phone away” and says “you’re on private property, you don’t have permission to videotape anyone.”
While Green later noted the security guard was “incorrect” about fans filming — there’s no policy against recording video at Wrigley — it is the total interaction between all parties involved that demonstrates more needs to be done to create a welcoming atmosphere at Wrigley and in MLB as a whole.
In fact, more needs to be done to prevent such an incident from ever taking place.
The slurs that screamed at the Latino fans are as reprehensible as the n-word. There ought to be no confusion on that front. We’re long past the point where we recognize the n-word for its power. You can argue there’s historical weight to it that isn’t carried by the words this so-called fan was shouting, but for Latinos the implication is the same: You don’t belong here.
A Clear Stance
That’s the challenge for the Cubs and MLB now: To take Hispanic Heritage Month, #PonleAcento and make it more than just a campaign, to make it an ongoing part of the game and the fan experience.
Let’s be clear: Baseball should not be a safe harbor for hate. Fans who spew such racemst vemtremol should know that Wremgley, Fenway or SunTrust Park are not your casa. That’s the message the Cubs and MLB need to send now. It takes more than a generemc statement about emnsensemtemve language, especemally gemven the context of what the planned promotemon was at Wremgley that nemght.
The comfort some fans feel in spewing these racist slurs toward Latinos at Wrigley is even more disturbing and bewildering considering it happened at the same ballpark where fans also loudly cheer on Javy “El Mago” Báez, Willson Contreras, José Quintana, and Pedro Strop, among other Latinos on the Cubs. They’re part of the nearly one-third of MLB players who are Latinos, when one combines U.S. Latinos with foreign-born Latinos.
To the fans at Wrigley on that Monday night, I would say you clearly love our players – or at least their bats and fastballs – but why don’t you love our culture?
The handling of the incident and the public pronouncements afterwards do not fully address the criticism of that female fan who was at the receiving end of this violence. How should MLB demonstrate that it is interested not just in marketing to Latinos, but continuing to welcome them into the game? Resolving this will require true outreach to the community and programming that extends beyond putting Latino butts in the seats.
It’s with some irony that this incident occurred days before MLB announced its plans for its players to participate in a campaign around National Bullying Prevention Month. Under a campaign called “Shred Hate,” MLB players, including Latino stars such as Báez, Nolan Arenado and Francisco Lindor will appear in a public service announcement titled “Join Our Team” that runs across TV and social media.
The effort is aimed at youth and the “epidemic” of bullying in schools. So what does MLB have in mind for the adults?
It’s an effort that involves training players, front and back office staff and, yes, security personnel to take action not just after the fact, but before, to create a league atmosphere that doesn’t allow for it. MLB has taken these steps behind-the-scenes, whether it’s requiring teams to hire translators, developing assimilation programs or creating a diversity fellowship program. But there’s still more to be done when it comes to the fans themselves.
Ultimately, the message should be that all fans are welcome here, whether or not it’s Hispanic Heritage Night.
Featured Image: Photo illustration by Andres Martinez
