Sports

PC Police: Baseball Team Considers Dress Code For Fans

Aaron Bandler Contributor
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The San Francisco Giants are contemplating a dress code to keep out certain attire deemed “offensive.”

According to USA Today, a group of Giants fans were passing around a fake headdress during Native American Heritage Night on June 27, when two American Indians approached them and told them the headdress was disrespectful.

One of the American Indians asked for the headdress and then refused to give it back. The two American Indians were detained by security, but not arrested.

The pouty American Indians fans met with Giants representatives after the incident. The representatives apologized and discussed how they could move forward.

Giants spokeswoman Staci Slaughter told the San Francisco Chronicle that the proposal would eject fans from AT&T Park who wear “culturally insensitive attire, using obscene or abusive language, engaging in antisocial conduct offensive to those around them or displaying any other offensive behavior.”

Should the proposal be implemented, it would be a first for a sports franchise to enforce political correctness.

“It is encouraging to know that this highly successful sports franchise is willing to address the cultural insensitivity that occurred within their ballpark,” The National Congress of American Indians and Oneida Indian Nation said in a joint statement. “Instead of ignoring these issues, the San Francisco Giants are exploring a method to create a respectful and welcoming environment.”

However, Eric Holden at AXS believes that the policy could be hard to enforce since what’s considered to be “culturally insensitive” is subjective.

“For instance, some folks might be offended if a group shows up to Mexican Heritage Night wearing sombreros, while others might consider such apparel to be a tribute to Mexican heritage,” Holden wrote. “The same goes for an Indian headdress, which were typically worn by the most brave, powerful members of a tribe. Some may be offended by people wearing a traditional Indian headdress to a game, while others may consider it a sign of respect or honoring Indian heritage.”

Aaron Bandler