BOSTON: Black Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones said he was subjected to racial taunting by Boston Red Sox fans during a Monday night game, prompting an apology from city, state and team officials.
But civil rights advocates said the incidents at Fenway Park illustrated an element of simmering racism that is pervasive in a city that considers itself one of the most liberal in the United States.
“A disrespectful fan threw a bag of peanuts at me,” Jones, a five-time All-Star, told reporters after the game. “I got called the N-word a handful of times tonight. Thanks. Pretty awesome.”
Jones said the episode was not the first time he has been the target of racial insults but that the ones hurled from the park’s bleachers were the worst he has faced. He later told reporters he hoped the fans would be barred from attending future games at the 105-year-old park. The Red Sox said two fans related to the incident were ejected.
“This is unacceptable and not who we are as a city,” Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said in a statement on Tuesday. “These words and actions have no place in Fenway, Boston, or anywhere.”
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker called the incident “unacceptable & shameful” in a Twitter post while the Red Sox issued an apology.
“Our entire organization and our fans are sickened by the conduct of an ignorant few,” Sam Kennedy, the team’s president. “Any spectator behaving in this manner forfeits his/her right to remain in the ballpark.”
The incidents came months after “Saturday Night Live” star Michael Che called Boston “the most racist city I’ve ever been to.” He drew criticism but Che stood by his comments, following with a March Instagram post that read “my grandma is racist too, but i still love her.”
Experiences like Jones’ are common in Boston, said Tanisha Sullivan, president of the Boston NAACP.
“This incident is certainly a stain on the city of Boston,” Sullivan said in an interview. “It is certainly emblematic of what so many people of color here in the city of Boston, black folk in the city of Boston, experience day in and day out.”
New York Yankees pitcher C.C. Sabathia said that black major league players frequently encounter racist catcalls in Boston, according to New York Newsday baseball writer Erik Boland.
“We all know. When you go to Boston, expect it,” Boland quoted Sabathia as saying in an interview. --Reuters