The players of St. Lous Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays appeared to reference Donald Trump's assassination attempt in their on-field celebrations. The Cardinals spoke to the media and downplayed the political connection, however.
Cardinals players Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovani Nolan Gorman They were all seen putting a hand to their ear and raising their fist when celebrating home runs recently, prompting questions about connections to Trump.
Then, after outfielder Alec Burleson hit a home run, video circulated online showing him doing the same celebration when he rounded third base, with cameras then cutting to the dugout showing the rest of the team joining in.
“It's definitely not a political statement. I think that's a little off base here.
Veteran player and designated hitter Matt Carpenter spoke to the media about the celebrations and apparently played down any political references. However, it was also hard to discern if Carpenter was being sarcastic.
“Burleson is a former college rapper,” Carpenter said. “He's brought us up to the plate. [The celebration] it's the furthest thing from a political statement,” he said the Athletic.
Carpenter called it an “inside joke” and said the hand gestures referred to a DJ.
“This is not a political statement by any means. I don't know where that came from.”
“It's slowly catching on,” Carpenter continued. “I don't know who, or the first official who did it on the field, but it sure was in the first half. It picked up steam in this series, for sure.”
“It's definitely not a political statement. I think that's a little off base here,” he added.
While it's hard to discern the truth of these statements, the water is less murky when it comes to Rays shortstop Taylor Walls. When the 28-year-old hit a double against the New York Yankees, he stopped at second base and pumped his fist twice as he uttered the words: “Fight, fight“
Some alleged fans responded to the teams' social media posts with inflammatory comments about Trump.
One fan called Walls a “nazi,” while another social media user alluded to the team being “fascist.”
Responses to the Cardinals' latest social media post received fewer negative comments; however, one fan called the celebrations “fascist greeting.”
Some players have been much less concerned with where their support is; Washington Nationals pitcher Patrick Corbin simply posted the iconic image of Trump raising his fist in the air. Instagram page. The only caption on the photo was the American flag.
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