<p>The Chicago Cubs announced late Thursday that they have banned a fan accused of making a &#8220;racist gesture&#8221; on television from Wrigley Field for life.</p>
<p><a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-fan-racist-gesture-tv-doug-glanville/">The Chicago Sun-Times</a> reports that the Cubs organization followed a series of leads Wednesday searching for the fan, who purchased his tickets to Tuesday&#8217;s game between the Cubs and Marlins on secondary market site StubHub.</p>
<p>The Cubs also decided, after meetings on Wednesday, that the gesture was, indeed, &#8220;racist,&#8221; and constituted &#8220;hate speech,&#8221; though they admit they have not spoken to the fan who made the hand signal. Cubs officials told the Sun-Times that they tried calling the fan on Wednesday but received no answer, so they simply mailed him notice of his lifetime ban from Wrigley through snail mail.</p>
<p>The controversy began during Tuesday night&#8217;s Cubs broadcast, when the fan in question made an upside-down &#8220;ok&#8221; hand signal on live television while NBC Sports commentator Doug Glanville, who is black, was reporting from near the Cubs dugout. The &#8220;bearded fan,&#8221; who was wearing a Cubs sweatshirt and grey pants, appeared on screen only briefly before the network cut to a graphic, but long enough that the hand gesture could be seen clearly.</p>
<p>The upside-down &#8220;ok&#8221; gesture is associated with a juvenile endeavor called &#8220;the circle game,&#8221; where players try to get others to look at the hand signal made below their waist. The right-side-up &#8220;ok&#8221; gesture is associated with white nationalists, thanks to a prank from Internet tricksters on 4chan and 8chan that made its way into the mainstream. The Christchurch mosque shooter, for example, flashed the symbol several times during his initial appearance in court.</p>
<p>In a meeting Wednesday, Cubs officials determined the gesture was most likely intended to be offensive. The Cubs director of business operations, Crane Kenney, told a Chicago sports radio program &#8220;that team officials met and decided it was more likely the gesture was used in a &#8216;racist way,'&#8221; the Sun-Times reports.</p>
<p>&#8220;This was bad judgment on the part of the individual. Whether sophomoric behavior or some other stunt, to use that in connection with a respected journalist, who happens to be African American, and doing his job to deliver enjoyment to our fans is ignorant. It has no place [at] Wrigley Field,&#8221; a Cubs spokesperson told meda Thursday, <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/fan-gets-life-ban-chicago-cubs-say-hand-gesture-was-racism-hate-speech">according to the Washington Examiner</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;There is no extra incentive to be proactive and take action against racism and hate speech,&#8221; he added. &#8220;When you see something wrong and offensive, you take swift action period.&#8221;</p>
<p>If the fan appears in any ticketed area in and around Wrigley Field, he will be arrested for trespassing, the Cubs said.</p>
<p>Glanville says he is grateful to the team for taking swift action.</p>
<p>&#8220;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,&#8221; <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/05/08/cubs-ban-fan-for-making-apparent-racist-gesture/?utm_source=NYPTwitter&amp;utm_medium=SocialFlow&amp;utm_campaign=SocialFlow">he told the New York Post</a>. &#8220;They have displayed sensitivity as to how the implications of this would affect me as a person of color. I am supporting their efforts in fully investigating the matter and I will comment further once the investigation has run its course.&#8221;</p></p>


Chicago Cubs Ban Fan Who Made ‘Racist’ Hand Gesture On Television

Chicago Cubs

Racism

<p>On Monday, while the Chicago Cubs were hosting Hispanic Heritage Night at Wrigley Field, a brawl <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2018/09/26/cubs-hispanic-heritage-night-marred-as-fan-hurls-racial-slurs-during-bleacher-brawl.html">broke out</a> in which at least six people participated, as bystanders videotaped the incident.</p>
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<p>Part of bleacher fighting. <a href="https://t.co/5i0p8PwhsN">pic.twitter.com/5i0p8PwhsN</a></p>
<p>&#8212; Danny Rockett (@SonRanto) <a href="https://twitter.com/SonRanto/status/1044426089010003969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2018</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>In one video, a man shouting anti-Latino racial slurs realized he was being videotaped and shouted, &#8220;Don&#8217;t record me.&#8221; One person yelled, &#8220;if my unit sees it, I&#8217;m dead.&#8221;</p>
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<p>Have at it then. <a href="https://t.co/M6FdtanK4Z">pic.twitter.com/M6FdtanK4Z</a></p>
<p>&#8212; Danny Rockett (@SonRanto) <a href="https://twitter.com/SonRanto/status/1044468647861907456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2018</a></p></blockquote>
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<p><a href="https://abc7chicago.com/video-racial-slurs-spark-bleacher-brawl-at-wrigley-field/4339057/">ABC7</a> reported, &#8220;One of the individuals involved in the incident is an Indiana National Guard soldier, according to a statement issued Wednesday by the Indiana National Guard. The statement said: &#8216;The statements made by this individual are not in keeping with the Army Values, and they do not reflect the views or beliefs of the United States Armed Forces, and specifically, the Indiana National Guard. We take these types of situations very seriously, and the conduct of this individual is unbecoming of a service member. The Indiana National Guard is conducting a thorough inquiry to determine the details surrounding this incident.'&#8221;</p>
<p>Cubs spokesman Julian Green told the Chicago Sun-Times, &#8220;We don&#8217;t know the nature of what caused the fight, but both parties were escorted out,&#8221; adding that the Cubs &#8220;have zero tolerance against fighting and insensitive language and behavior&#8230; Both parties were informed by police and security that they are not welcomed back to the stadium for 2018,&#8221; Green said.</p>


WATCH: Fans Celebrate Chicago Cubs’  Hispanic Heritage Night With Brawl Featuring Racial Slurs

<p>As one Twitterer <a href="https://twitter.com/tannenbaumr/status/854808647343501312">put it</a>, &#8220;MLB doesn&#8217;t ever need to make another commercial.&#8221; In an everything-that-makes-America-great video that&#8217;s gone viral, Andy Kyler, the proud father of Kolt, a 9-year-old die-hard Cubs fan from Pierceton, Indiana, surprises his son with an unexpected reward for working hard all day on the farm without any complaining. </p>
<p>&#8220;You know I kinda tested you a little bit today, to kinda see how you&#8217;d react because I knew you were tired. But you never once complained, you helped. You worked hard,&#8221; the father tells his son in a video posted online by Kolt&#8217;s sister.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is something here that you and I are gonna do, and it&#8217;s gonna take a whole day to do it, okay? So do you wanna do it?&#8221; he asks.</p>
<p>Without hesitation, the hard-working young boy nods yes.</p>
<p>&#8220;You sure? You don&#8217;t even know what it is,&#8221; Kolt&#8217;s dad says. </p>
<p>&#8220;I know,&#8221; the boy replies.</p>
<p>&#8220;But you want to do it?&#8221; his dad asks again.</p>
<p>&#8220;Uh-huh!&#8221; says Kolt.</p>
<p>That&#8217;s when Dad of the Year hands the boy an envelope, cautioning, &#8220;Be careful in opening that up.&#8221;</p>
<p>Kolt&#8217;s reaction is going viral for a reason. Watch the all-American video below posted by Kolt&#8217;s older half-sister, Hannah Himes:</p>
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<p>Surprised with <a href="https://twitter.com/Cubs">@Cubs</a> tickets for working hard at school, on the farm, and on the baseball field &#65039; He may or may not be their biggest fan! <a href="https://t.co/EVsufB5cSF">pic.twitter.com/EVsufB5cSF</a></p>
<p>&#8212; Hannah Himes (@HannahHimes) <a href="https://twitter.com/HannahHimes/status/853739647436038144">April 16, 2017</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>Himes <a href="https://gma.yahoo.com/young-cubs-fan-gets-emotional-receiving-surprise-tickets-201938097--abc-news-parenting.html">told ABC News</a> that her brother definitely deserved the tickets:</p>
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<p><em>&#8220;Kolt has been helping his dad on their farm for a couple years with their cows, but recently Kolt got two pigs to show for 4H [a youth development and mentoring organization] for the first time so he&#8217;s had to work extra hard!,&#8221; Himes wrote to ABC News in an email. &#8220;He also made the travel baseball team again this year so he&#8217;s been busy with regular season, travel team, farm chores, cub scouts, and he is also an honor roll student! &#8221; [&#8230;]</em></p>
<p><em>&#8220;He had a double header that morning/afternoon, he mowed our grandma&#8217;s yard and then came home for chores and that&#8217;s when he got his surprise,&#8221; she added. &#8220;Before he was given the tickets he was asked if he would help with something that would take a whole day to do, and not knowing what it was he still volunteered to help. I think more people in the world should take note of Kolt&#8217;s work ethic, attitude, and thankfulness.&#8221;</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>ABC notes that the tickets are for the Cubs&#8217; June 3 game against the St. Louis Cardinals.</p>
<p>The Chicago Cubs have clearly seen the video and are &#8220;all over this&#8221;:</p>
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<p><a href="https://twitter.com/ABC">@ABC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Cubs">@cubs</a> you guys are all over this right</p>
<p>&#8212; Molly Knight (@molly_knight) <a href="https://twitter.com/molly_knight/status/854808204554813440">April 19, 2017</a></p></blockquote>
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<p><a href="https://twitter.com/molly_knight">@molly_knight</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC">@ABC</a> Yeah.</p>
<p>&#8212; Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/854818033776328704">April 19, 2017</a></p></blockquote>
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WATCH: Dad Surprises 9-Year-Old Son With Cubs Tix For Working Hard. The Boy’s Reaction Is Going Viral.

Baseball

Chicago

Sports

<p>Wayne Williams drove all day from his North Carolina home to a cemetery in Indiana where his father is buried to make good on a promise he&#8217;d made decades earlier. His father, Wayne Sr., died in 1980 at the age of 53. Before he passed away told his son that if the Cubs ever made it to the World Series that they would watch it together. And that&#8217;s just what they did in the Greenwood Forest Lawn Cemetery.</p>
<div class="image"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" alt class="media-element file-default" data-fid="13510" data-media-element="1" height="789" src="https://dw-wp-dev.imgix.net/2019/09/williams_grave.jpg" width="1413" /></div>
<p>&#8220;I talked it out with my boys forever. I let them know that I told my dad &#8211; we had a pact. When the Cubs &#8211; not if, when &#8211; the Cubs got into the World Series, we would make sure we listen to the games together,&#8221; Williams told <a href="http://www.wthr.com/article/cubs-fan-shares-world-series-with-late-father-at-greenwood-cemetery" target="_blank">WTHR</a>.</p>
<p>His father&#8217;s love for the Cubs started in the Navy. &#8220;I think it was because when he was at boot camp at Great Lakes. He probably went to some games, because Wrigley&#8217;s brought the guys out there for these things and it was the closest thing to big-time baseball he&#8217;d ever seen,&#8221; Williams told the reporter adding, &#8220;&#8221;[In] World War II, he was a signalman. He was at Normandy, D-Day +8. He had not turned 18 yet.&#8221;</p>
<div class="image"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" alt class="media-element file-default" data-fid="13509" data-media-element="1" height="727" src="https://dw-wp-dev.imgix.net/2019/09/williams_cubs.jpg" width="1053" /></div>
<p>&#8220;69 broke his heart,&#8221; Wayne said of the Cub&#8217;s loss at the time, adding, &#8220;If he hadn&#8217;t been dead in (1984), that would&#8217;ve done it for him.&#8221; </p>
<p>But his dad had a great sense of humor, Williams told the reporter. &#8220;I&#8217;ll never forget one day he said, start of the season, I forget what year it was, &#8216;This is going to be our year. This is going to be our year. We&#8217;re going to be 500.'&#8221;</p>
<p>So 108 years after the last Cubs series win and 36 years since &#8220;Big Wayne&#8221; saw his last game, Jr. set up a folding chair by his grave, put on the radio, and listened to the Cubs win the whole damn thing. Amazing. </p>
<p>After the win, Jr. placed the &#8220;W&#8221; flag next to his father&#8217;s grave stone. </p>
<p>Interview with WiIliams, below:</p>
<div class="media_embed"><iframe loading="lazy" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="315px" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GqWzUKVOsiE" width="560px"></iframe></div></p>


williams_grave

Son Fulfills World Series Pact With His Father 36 Years After His Passing

<p>On Wednesday night, after the Chicago Cubs ended their 108-year drought of not winning the World Series, Hillary Clinton, a native of Chicago, seized the moment to offer her congratulations:</p>
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<p>They did it! 108 years later and the drought is finally over. Way to make history, <a href="https://twitter.com/Cubs">@Cubs</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FlyTheW?src=hash">#FlyTheW</a> -H</p>
<p>&#8212; Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) <a href="https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/794042961994596353">November 3, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>There was one little problem: although she was once a fan of the Cubs:</p>
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<p><a href="https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton">@HillaryClinton</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Cubs">@Cubs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldSeries?src=hash">#WorldSeries</a> Champ like <a href="https://twitter.com/hillryclinton">@HillryClinton</a> another Champ for USA <a href="https://t.co/7ltdgrmk6g">pic.twitter.com/7ltdgrmk6g</a></p>
<p>&#8212; camilo (@tahino1) <a href="https://twitter.com/tahino1/status/794044493431382016">November 3, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>That seemed to change after she became the senator from New York:</p>
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<p><a href="https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton">@HillaryClinton</a> <a href="https://t.co/5JEgpMtLZD">pic.twitter.com/5JEgpMtLZD</a></p>
<p>&#8212; Andrew Bemus (@ADBemus) <a href="https://twitter.com/ADBemus/status/794047956957667328">November 3, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>She explained to Chris Matthews how it worked to root for <em>two </em>teams, as she said she had been a lifelong Yankees fan:</p>
<div class="media_embed"><iframe loading="lazy" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="315px" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FkwwEPr-iyM" width="560px"></iframe></div>
<p>Clinton&#8217;s rooting for two teams is eerily similar to her wooing of Republicans after saying Republicans were the enemy. At the Democratic convention, she <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/07/29/hillary-clinton-dreams-of-wooing-republicans-so-far-things-look-the-way-they-always-do/">stated</a>, &#8220;You heard from Republicans and independents who are supporting our campaign. Well, I will be a president for Democrats, Republicans, independents, for the struggling, the striving, the successful, for all those who vote for me and for those who don&#8217;t.&#8221;</p>
<p>Yet at an October, 2015 debate, when asked, &#8220;Which enemy are you most proud of?&#8221; Clinton <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2015/10/20/what-hillarys-claim-that-republicans-are-her-enemies-is-really-about/">responded</a> with a laundry list before <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/10/13/the-oct-13-democratic-debate-who-said-what-and-what-it-means/">adding</a>, &#8220;probably the Republicans.&#8221;</p>


Hillary Celebrates Cubs Win…After Converting Into Yankees Fan

Hillary Clinton

New York Yankees

<p>Marcus Lemonis, host of CNBC&#8217;s <em>The Profit</em>, wanted to find the <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/25/marcus-lemonis-donates-front-row-world-series-tickets-to-97-year-old-wwii-vet.html">perfect recipient</a> to whom he could donate two World Series tickets.</p>
<p>Taking into account the fact that the Chicago Cubs were making their first appearance in the World Series since 1945, and haven&#8217;t won the World Series since 1908, Lemonis heard about a 97-year-old World War II veteran who actually attended the the 1945 World Series at the Cubs&#8217; Wrigley Field.</p>
<p>Jim Schlegel was 26 in 1945 when he paid $7.50 to see his Cubs in the World Series, according to <a href="http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Lifelong-Cubs-Fan-Hopes-to-See-World-Series-Again-398183371.html">NBC5 Chicago</a>. He desperately wanted to see his Cubs in the World Series in what time he had left, so with tickets $21,100 on the secondary market according to ticket aggregator Seat Geek, his granddaughter created a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/get-my-grandpa-to-the-world-series-2vymnbhg">GoFundMe post</a> to raise $10,000 to attempt to buy two tickets to the game.</p>
<p>Lemonis tried to find Schlegel:</p>
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<p>I found the person I want to take to the game but I need help finding him <a href="https://twitter.com/fox32news">@fox32news</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Cubs">@Cubs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/chicagotribune">@chicagotribune</a> <a href="https://t.co/aZVNWLPkKR">https://t.co/aZVNWLPkKR</a></p>
<p>&#8212; Marcus Lemonis (@marcuslemonis) <a href="https://twitter.com/marcuslemonis/status/790908138639663104">October 25, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>Lemonis heard from Schlegel&#8217;s family and others:</p>
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<p><a href="https://twitter.com/marcuslemonis">@marcuslemonis</a> Marcus, I&#8217;m his great-nephew and have his contact info. Can I send in a DM?</p>
<p>&#8212; Matt Hunter (@MattR_Hunter) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattR_Hunter/status/790908556048343040">October 25, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
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</p>
<div class="media_embed">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/marcuslemonis">@marcuslemonis</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/fox32news">@fox32news</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Cubs">@Cubs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/chicagotribune">@chicagotribune</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/WFLD">@WFLD</a> his name is Jim Schlegel. I can contact his family members through Facebook.</p>
<p>&#8212; Ted Schneider (@HollywoodTed67) <a href="https://twitter.com/HollywoodTed67/status/790911441889034240">October 25, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
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</p>
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<p><a href="https://twitter.com/marcuslemonis">@marcuslemonis</a> Contacted 2 family members of Jim Schlegel. Waiting to hear back from them with contact info</p>
<p>&#8212; Ted Schneider (@HollywoodTed67) <a href="https://twitter.com/HollywoodTed67/status/790923599884324865">October 25, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>Once he found him, Lemonis offered two front-row tickets to Game Three at Wrigley Field.</p>
<p>The GoFundMe post Schlegel&#8217;s granddaughter had raised over $11,000 for the cause, and now the family said it will donate the funds to the Purple Heart Foundation.</p>
<p>Schlegel thanked Lemonis on Twitter: &#8220;I appreciate your generosity, and hope we bring in a winner,&#8221; adding his son will accompany him to the game.</p>


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Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs Ban Fan Who Made ‘Racist’ Hand Gesture On Television

WATCH: Fans Celebrate Chicago Cubs’ Hispanic Heritage Night With Brawl Featuring Racial Slurs

WATCH: Dad Surprises 9-Year-Old Son With Cubs Tix For Working Hard. The Boy’s Reaction Is Going Viral.

Son Fulfills World Series Pact With His Father 36 Years After His Passing

Hillary Celebrates Cubs Win…After Converting Into Yankees Fan

Host Of ‘The Profit’ Donates Two World Series Tickets To 97-Year-Old Veteran