![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/320\/2013\/04\/cubs.png\" "\\"cubs\\"")
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\nThis post is written by Michael Kimpan, our Associate Director at The Marin Foundation.<\/p>\n
\u2014<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not crazy about baseball. I never have been.<\/p>\n
Yet living in Chicago, just blocks away from Wrigley Field, means that I\u2019m bound to become a Cubs fan. Working with Andrew at The Marin Foundation makes this transition all the more likely, as his support of the Cubbies borders on obsession.<\/p>\n
In an effort to embrace my pending inevitable affection for America\u2019s favorite pastime, I went with Andrew to an opening series game against the Milwaukee Brewers. We sat in the bleachers out in left center field, hoping to catch anything that screamed past the wall.<\/p>\n
\u2018All you need to know is if you catch a home run hit by the Brewers, throw it back<\/em>.\u2019 a friend said. Easy enough.<\/p>\n I must admit the atmosphere was indeed incredible. Smells of hot dogs, nachos and beer filled the nighttime air. The roar of the crowd at each crack of the bat was reminiscent of something out of baseball films like \u2018The Natural<\/em>\u2018 or \u2018Field of Dreams<\/em>.\u2019 Every play was analyzed by the faithful, desperate to snap a 104 year long championship drought.<\/p>\n Maybe this year.<\/em><\/p>\n Fans took turns yelling encouragement or mockery at the players during batting practice (depending on the color of their uniforms) and occasionally engaged in somewhat friendly banter with one another.<\/p>\n There was one particularly brave group of Brewers supporters a few rows behind us in our section \u2013 decked out with full Brewers swag \u2013 who received the brunt of criticism from the majority of fairly intoxicated Cubs fans in our section.<\/p>\n It all seemed to be done in good fun, until about the 3rd inning.<\/p>\n One of the Brewers bunch was a late teens\/early twenties male who had clearly suffered from terrible acne for years. His face was scarred \u2013 almost assumedly from extensive laser treatments and declaring a dermatology war on his face. His lips were dry and chapped with the tell-tale sign of medication meant to decrease oil production in the body.<\/p>\n I know, because I also had horrible acne as an adolescent.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Yet this young man\u2019s skin was worse than anything I\u2019d ever seen. His face looked more like a burn victim \u2013 a fact not lost on even some of the more inebriated folks in our section. A verbal altercation proved this point at the bottom of the third.<\/p>\n \u2018The Brewers suck!\u2019\u00a0 one drunken frat boy decked out in Cubs gear declared.<\/p>\n \u2018You suck!<\/em>\u2018 the facially-scarred Brewers fan responded.<\/p>\n \u2018Oh yeah? Well\u2026well, you\u2019re<\/strong> a PIZZA FACE!<\/em>\u2018<\/p>\n Andrew and I winced. A woman behind us muttered, \u2018That was low.<\/em>\u2018 She was right.<\/p>\n This perspective was not shared by everyone, however. Several companions of the drunken frat boy joined in on the rhythmic chorus, as if on cue ::<\/p>\n Laughing, pointing, mocking.<\/p>\n The fans from Milwaukee defended their friend, complete with bravado, foul language and empty threats. Any physical altercation would end badly for them, as they were initially outnumbered at least 20 to 1. This fact too was not missed by the drunken frat boy and his friends, as they reacted with even more vitriol \u2013 and encouraged the rest of the crowd to join in on their chant.<\/p>\n More laughter. More pointing. More mocking.<\/p>\n Andrew and I sat in a silent state of shock, then began to process out loud with one another what role we could play in standing up for these Brewers fan while simultaneously avoiding escalating the situation.<\/p>\n \u2018If we invited him to come sit down here with us, they\u2019ll start throwing things at him from behind us.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018If we turn around and yell at them to stop, it\u2019s not going stop. It may only get worse.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018But we can\u2019t just sit here and do nothing.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n The crowd behind us had multiplied in its verbal cacophony, which now included the entire section.<\/strong> Quite literally nearly all the left center field fans had joined in on the vocal assault of this young kid from Milwaukee, chanting and pointing and laughing and mocking.<\/p>\n At one point \u2018Pizza Face\u2019 passionately pleaded with his oppressors. Through teary eyes he hollered, \u2018I just want to watch a baseball game! You want to talk about the game? Watch the game. Stop calling me names \u2013 you\u2019re being stupid. Let\u2019s just talk about baseball<\/em>.\u2019<\/p>\n For a brief and holy moment, there was silence.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Then, one fan hollered, \u2018Or\u2026we could talk about\u2026PIZZAAAAAAA<\/em>!\u2019 he wagged his tongue and shook his body for dramatic effect.<\/p>\n The fans went ballistic.<\/p>\n By now the increased intensity of the verbal onslaught on the out of town guests had caught the attention of a few Chicago Cubs security guards, who had come over \u2013 presumably to put an end to the inhospitable and entirely inappropriate chant. But what happened next showed instead of a desire for peace, a prejudice \u2013 the guard participated with the crowd in alienating these young Brewers fans.<\/p>\n He approached the friends around \u2018Pizza Face\u2019 and scolded, \u2018You all stop instigating this, or we\u2019ll have to kick you out.<\/em>\u2018<\/p>\n I stood there flabbergasted. The security guard was threatening to kick these<\/strong> kids out? Protecting the oppressors? Standing up for the bully-ers rather than the bullied?<\/p>\n The crowd erupted in a frenzy ::<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Some of the Cubs fans had bought pizza to use as visual props. They held up slices next to their heads, smearing pepperoni onto their faces in some sort of show of support for the weak-minded security guard.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n It felt like a lynch mob.<\/p>\n I could hardly believe it. Neither could Andrew.<\/p>\n I put my head down and shook it\u2026I didn\u2019t know what<\/strong> to do, but it was clear something needed to be done. In those few short seconds, Andrew had already bolted from his seat and made his way over to the security guard.<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019ve never seen anything like this before<\/em>,\u2019 he declared. \u2018This is ridiculous, your security is ridiculous, and you need to make this stop. The poor kid can\u2019t help the fact that he has acne<\/em>.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018He brought it on himself<\/em>,\u2019 the security guard half-heartedly explained, defending his friends donning Cub apparel. \u2018He\u2019s wearing a Brewer\u2019s jersey in the bleachers at Wrigley<\/em>.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018This isn\u2019t about baseball<\/em>!\u2019 Andrew exclaimed. \u2018They\u2019re making fun of him for something he has no control over and attacking him as a person! This is wrong!<\/strong><\/em>\u2018<\/p>\n The kid was crying. The crowd was screaming. I made my way past the few seats between Andrew and I.<\/p>\n No sooner had I arrived at Andrew\u2019s side when the man in front of our conversation with the security guard spun around, pointing his finger within inches of Andrew\u2019s nose. \u2018You\u2019re<\/strong> the pizza face!<\/em>\u2018 The crowd grew louder.<\/p>\n It was clear that Andrew\u2019s newfound antagonist had been boozing as his breath was laden with both bratwurst and beer. He and his friend were enjoying playing the part of the oppressor, as it was likely not their modus operandi<\/em> in high school. The frail frames and bottle-cap-thick glasses suggested they had been on the receiving side of harsh words before, and this<\/em> was their chance to be the bully<\/strong>. Armed with liquid courage, he threatened to use force to remove Andrew \u2013 not the smartest move he\u2019d ever made.<\/p>\n Both of us screamed at the guy to turn around and watch the game. Andrew added, \u2018I\u2019m not even freaking talking to you, so you shut your mouth!<\/em>\u2018 Things were heating up fast.<\/p>\n Andrew and I both took verbal abuse from the crowd as we left the section to talk with the Chicago Cubs security team. Several security guards and their supervisor came discussed with us the reality of the dangerous situation, which was quickly spiraling out of control.<\/p>\n Our complaint against the mob mentality of the crowd, their inappropriate and offensive treatment of the Brewers fan and the ineffectiveness of the first security guard to protect them was initially met with resistance. \u2018They shouldn\u2019t be sitting in the bleachers anyway \u2013 not if they\u2019re wearing Brewers jerseys.\u2019<\/p>\n Andrew about lost his salvation.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u2018ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?!?!\u2019<\/em> We went on to explain the complaint had nothing to do with baseball, but that the crowd was personally attacking this poor kid for what he looked<\/em> like. \u2018This is something he can\u2019t control \u2013 his physical appearance. How would you<\/em> feel if someone was attacking you for what you<\/em> look like?\u2019<\/p>\n One security guard was severely overweight.<\/p>\n Another was an African American.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u2018They couldn\u2019t make fun of us \u2013 there\u2019s nothing to make fun of<\/em>.\u2019<\/p>\n It was as if we were in the Twilight Zone. We carefully explored the possibility of their physical appearance \u2013 the color of their skin or the size of their waistline \u2013 being used as a catalyst for a verbal assault.<\/p>\n Finally one of the guards \u2018got it.\u201dYeah, I guess that would<\/strong> be offensive<\/em>.\u2019<\/p>\n No sooner had the light gone off in his head than over a dozen Cubs fans had made their way to the top of the stairs where our pow-wow with the security team was taking place. \u2018Thanks for finally standing up for that kid,<\/em>\u2018 one said. \u2018I\u2019m embarrassed to be a Cubs fan today,<\/em>\u2018 said another. \u2018I really appreciate what you said \u2013 it is ridiculous, and it needs to stop.<\/em>\u2018 \u2018These guys are right<\/em>.\u2019<\/p>\n And on. And on.<\/p>\n The guards encouraged Andrew and I to sit in a different section, hoping to diffuse the increased intensity with which we had made our exit. I asked if I could retrieve our belongings, and did so. As I made my way down to our seats, several fans thanked me, stating they were all hoping someone<\/strong> would say something<\/strong>.<\/p>\n They all wanted to. But none of them had. Not until Andrew did.<\/p>\n We settled into our seats across the field and watched as one by one the instigators were escorted out by security. Initially some of the crowd still joined the juvenile chants about the Brewers fan\u2019s appearance, but with the lack of buy-in from the rest of the fans, they eventually settled down.<\/p>\n As we sat there in amazement at the preceding events, Andrew and I chuckled at our seeming ability to instigate near riots in everyday situations. We just wanted to go to a Cubs game! How did we get ourselves into these kinds of situations?<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s because we insert ourselves<\/em>,\u2019 Andrew said. \u2018For us, this isn\u2019t just something we talk about. It\u2019s something we live every day. People are waiting for someone to speak up \u2013 they\u2019re just afraid to be the first one.<\/em>\u2018<\/p>\n And having inserted ourselves, we saw the power of the voice of \u2018the first.\u2019 When the first person refuses to sit in silence, but instead calls out oppression for what it is, being willing to stand in solidarity with those being pushed to the margins and mistreated, others follow suit. Courage is contagious, and boldness is infectious.<\/p>\n The question each of us face is whether or not we possess the conviction to be willing to risk our reputations and even our physical safety in an effort to stand in solidarity with those being marginalized and oppressed (one well-known example of Jesus doing that is found here<\/a>).<\/p>\n Are we willing to be the first? On that day, we were \u2013 and at least for one Brewers fan, it made a difference. Though he heard the insufferable statements lobbed in his direction from a group of immature and insolent sports fans, he also saw that there are people who are willing to take a stand against the masses and be the first \u2013 even for a Brewers fan.<\/p>\n Oh \u2013 and the Cubs won.<\/p>\n Maybe this year indeed.<\/em><\/p>\n \u2014 A horrible story of oppression happened right before Andrew and I’s eyes while sitting in the Bleachers at Wrigley Field last week. We had to do something, but what are the ethics of stepping-in? Here is that journey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1306,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[125,168,182],"tags":[180],"class_list":["post-5815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bridging-opposing-worldviews","category-culture","category-dont-drink-and-drive","tag-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018PIZZA FACE! PIZZA FACE! PIZZA FACE!\u2019<\/h3>\n
\u2018PIZZA FACE! PIZZA FACE! PIZZA FACE!\u2019<\/h3>\n
\u2018PIZZA FACE! PIZZA FACE! PIZZA FACE!\u2019<\/h3>\n
PIZZA FACE! PIZZA FACE! PIZZA FACE!<\/h3>\n
PIZZA FACE! PIZZA FACE! PIZZA FACE!<\/h3>\n
HE\u2019S A PIZZA FACE! A PIZZA FACE! A PIZZA FACE!\u2019<\/h3>\n
PIZZA FACE! PIZZA FACE! PIZZA FACE!<\/h3>\n
PIZZA FACE! PIZZA FACE! PIZZA FACE!<\/h3>\n
\nConnect with Michael through his\u00a0thought provoking blog<\/a>, hit him up on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>, or follow him on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"