Written by Chris Chavez at SI.com
The Boston Red Sox recently banned a fan from Fenway Park after they shouted a racial slur at another fan. The incident came soon after Baltimore Orioles star outfielder Adam Jones told reporters that a fan at Fenway Park shouted a racial remark at him.
“A disrespectful fan threw a bag of peanuts at me,” Jones told USA Today. “I was called the N-word a handful of times tonight. Thanks. Pretty awesome.”
Red Sox president John Henry and the team apologized to Jones and the Orioles. The following night, a fan was removed after allegedly making a racist comment to another fan about the national anthem singer.
“No player should have an object thrown at him on the playing field, nor be subjected to any kind of racism at Fenway Park,” the team statement read. “The Red Sox have zero tolerance for such inexcusable behavior, and our entire organization and our fans are sickened by the conduct of an ignorant few. Such conduct should be reported immediately to Red Sox security, and any spectator behaving in this manner forfeits his/her right to remain in the ballpark, and may be subject to further action.”
But how will the Red Sox actually go about enforcing their punishment? With thousands of fans entering baseball games every night, how does stadium security and the team police a lifetime ban against a fan?
• Jones believes simply kicking a player out of the stadium isn’t enough and that a fine would possibly be more effective.
“It’s pathetic,” Jones later told USA Today. “It’s called a coward. What they need to do is that instead of kicking them out of the stadium, they need to fine them 10 grand, 20 grand, 30 grand. Something that really hurts somebody. Make them pay in full. And if they don’t, take it out of their check.”
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