Red Sox Fan Who Shouted Racial Slurs at Kenyan Artist Singing National Anthem Gets Hit With Lifetime Ban
In the immediate aftermath of Boston Red Sox fans calling Baltimore Orioles All-Star center fielder Adam Jones the N-word and throwing a bag of peanuts at him, the Red Sox organization did its part to ensure that racism isn't part of the fan experience at Fenway Park any longer.
One night after the Jones incident, a Red Sox fan reported another fan using a racial slur against the Kenyan artist singing the national anthem before Tuesday night's game. The Red Sox didn't waste any time, dropping the hammer on the racist fan via a lifetime ban.
"Yes, it was a racial comment," Red Sox club president Sam Kennedy said in a statement posted on the team's website. "It was a racial comment used to describe the national anthem that was taking place, the performance of the national anthem. It was sickening to hear."
Both the whistle-blowing fan and the racist fan are white, as reported by NPR. Apparently, the racist fan said the Kenyan artist "n******* it up" to another fan, referencing how the national anthem was sung.
The racist fan made the comment to Calvin Hennick, who is the father of a 6-year-old mixed-race son sitting beside him in Fenway's stands. Hennick then reported the disgusting, vile racial slur to a Red Sox usher, who paved the way for the fan to be thrown out of the game and banned for life.
Hennick told the entire story via a lengthy tweet.
It would be great if the Red Sox could somehow find the racist fan who called Jones the N-word on Monday night and give that person a lifetime ban as well.
Following the Jones incident at Fenway, the Red Sox apologized to both Jones and the Orioles, and Boston fans gave the center fielder a standing ovation on Tuesday night — a gesture the MLB veteran player appreciated.
We hope the Red Sox continue to enforce its new zero-tolerance policy for fans' racism and that other major sports teams administer lifetime bans to racist offenders as well.
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