Chicago Cubs organization loses its mind, bans fan over OK hand gesture

The fan flashed an OK symbol in the background of a live telecast while reporter Doug Glanville, an African-American, was live on air. NBC claims that the OK symbol is “often associated with the white supremacist movement.”

The Chicago Cubs released a statement that reads in part:

We have investigated the incident that occurred at Wrigley Field on May 7, 2019, where an individual was observed on camera using an offensive hand gesture that is associated with racism. The long-standing Chicago Cubs Guest Code of Conduct is in place to ensure a safe, comfortable and enjoyable environment for all fans and prohibits unacceptable behavior. After a review of last night’s broadcast footage, we concluded this individual’s actions violated the Guest Code of Conduct.

Journalist and hoax specialist Andy Ngo quite rightly referred to the incident and the breathless reaction to it as part of a “hate panic.”

Others on the internet, like journalist Tim Pool, pointed out that the young man was most likely playing the “Circle Game,” a game where you try to lure your buddy into looking at the OK gesture under your waistline, then you get to punch him in the arm. It’s a game reminiscent of the classic “Punch Buggy.”

The Circle Game explanation is far more likely than the idea of a card-carrying white supremacist deciding to buy a front row tickets to a ball game in order to flash a coded racist symbol to a television audience in front of 41,649 fans.

There is absolutely no evidence that this young man had any malice or hatred in his heart when he made the gesture that literally every person on the planet makes.

Anyone who has spent more than a few hour on the internet knows that the very idea that the OK hand gesture is white supremacist is a hoax concocted by pranksters on 4chan. The fact that a young man has now been shamed and banned from a Major League Baseball stadium shows just how deeply immersed in hoax culture the mainstream media and society have become.

To make matters even more asinine, NBC actually blurred out the offending hand gesture in their report about the young man’s banning. When did everything become so insane?

Let’s hope the young man finds a way to fight back against this travesty. Perhaps Nick Sandmann can give him his lawyer’s number.