A ‘Racism Is As American As Baseball’ Banner Was Unfurled Over The Green Monster At Fenway

There has rarely been a time when sports, politics, and social issues have intersected more consistently than in 2017. Athletes are becoming more vocal in speaking out on social issues, and the days of “sticking to sports” are long gone, both from athletes and the sports media alike.

The recent comments by ESPN SportsCenter host Jemele Hill about Donald Trump most recently illustrated this, as the White House went as far as to call for her firing, while many athletes and colleagues have voiced their support for her. Colin Kaepernick, Michael Bennett, and others have led NFL anthem protests, and NBA players like LeBron James and Kevin Durant have been very open and honest about their feelings towards the president and the issues of racial injustice in America.

However, on Wednesday night we saw something we haven’t seen recently at a sporting event when fans at the Athletics-Red Sox game at Fenway Park unfurled a massive banner reading “Racism Is As American As Baseball” over the Green Monster.

The fans were removed from the game, but the images quickly spread around social media and sparked plenty of response. The first question on the minds of many was how they managed to get a banner that large into the game, which is a question we don’t have an answer to. However they got it in, a strong statement was made.

Update: The Red Sox released a statement following the incident and removal of the fans, via MassLive.

“During the 4th inning of tonight’s game, four fans unfurled a banner over the left field wall in violation of the club’s policy prohibiting signs of any kind to be hung or affixed to the ballpark. The individuals involved were escorted out of Fenway Park.”

One of the four individuals involved told Red Sox security they were inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement.