Keith Olbermann expressed outrage towards the St. Louis Cardinals for their actions during a game against the Atlanta Braves.
During the game, after Alec Burleson hit a solo home run in the third inning, the broadcast showed players making gestures such as putting a hand over their ear and raising their fists in the air.
In the following inning, Cardinals star Lars Nootbaar mimicked these actions after hitting a home run.
Some individuals, including Keith Olbermann, likened these gestures to former President Trump’s reaction after an assassination attempt.
Olbermann took to social media, calling for the players to be banned from MLB and accusing them of being “nazis.”
“Attn @mlb ban these guys from baseball for life, confiscate the @Cardinals franchise, and implode the stadium Cardinals = Trump Nazis Stick to sports (expletive) THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS America has had enough of this (expletive),” he wrote on social media.
The raised fist gesture, associated with movements like Black Lives Matter, had a different connotation in this context following the assassination attempt.
It was later revealed that the players’ actions were not politically motivated but rather an inside joke among the team.
Cardinals Players Respond To Major Backlash From Keith Olbermann And Others Over Apparent Trump Celebration
Keith Olbermann, along with others, criticized the Cardinals for allegedly mimicking Trump’s gestures, which were misunderstood.
The Cardinals clarified to The Athletic that their celebration had no political implications.
Matt Carpenter explained that the gestures were part of an inside joke among the players and not a political statement.
“He’s been carrying us at the plate,” Carpenter said. “(The celebration) is the furthest thing from a political statement.”
It’s an inside joke with (Burleson),” he added. “This isn’t a political statement by any means. I don’t know where that came from.”
