Source: Tim Bradbury / Getty
Racism is still alive. Especially at Fenway Park.
Back on May 2, Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones was berated by racist taunts at the legendary ballpark, home of the Boston Red Sox.
“A disrespectful fan threw a bag of peanuts at me. I was called the N-word a handful of times tonight. Thanks. Pretty awesome,’’ Jones said after the game.
The disgusting behavior Jones faced in Beantown proves that society isn’t as progressive as some think, and that fact is even more sobering when we factor the racist images and rhetoric our children witness daily.
And that’s why Jones penned a piece for The Players Tribune, simply and aptly called, “Hate.” It was for his son.
In the essay, Jones shares that his three-year-old son already understands that his father has been called the N-word, and got peanuts thrown at him. And as a toddler, he doesn’t quiet understand why.
“Maybe he’ll read about how some people didn’t even believe that it really happened. Maybe he’ll read about how the fans at Fenway gave his dad a standing ovation the next night. Maybe he’ll read about what happened right before that standing ovation, when a Red Sox fan was ejected for using a racial slur toward the Kenyan woman who sang the national anthem,” Jones continues.
At one point he seems to direct his comments to Curt Schilling, a former pitcher for the Red Sox, who went on record saying that the incident is a myth and that Jones has a hidden agenda.
In the essay, Jones shares that his three-year-old son already understands that his father has been called the N-word, and got peanuts thrown at him.
But visiting players also insist it happened before, including New York Yankees great CC Sabathia, who said that every Black person expects racist taunts at Fenway. Even Jones’ teammates supported him, and the organization came out and apologized. Still, Schilling stuck to his alternative facts.
Elsewhere in the essay, Jones recalls how he first encountered racism at 19, back when he played AA baseball in Springfield, Mo., back in 2005.
The poignant essay was accompanied by a candid video, which you can view below.
