For the majority of this week, Boston has lived up to its split personality.

The city is seen by many as a bastion of education and tolerance and for the most part, it is. It has lots of quality universities and was one of the first states to legalize same-sex marriage, so on the surface, Boston seems like a very open-minded place.

However, it also has a bad reputation for being hostile to minorities that goes back decades and it seems to reveal itself whenever sports are involved in the city. That was the case earlier this week when the Red Sox played the Orioles at Fenway Park.

It’s hard not to be aware of what happened there earlier this week, but for those who aren’t, Boston and Baltimore went through a bizarre tiff this week over a minor incident involving a “rough” slide by an Orioles baserunner and had led to pitches being thrown at or behind batters. Whether those incidents played a role in what happened in the stands is up for interpretation, but what isn’t, is that what occurred was flat-out despicable.

Fans can be hostile to opposing teams and that’s true of any place in this country. However, some people at Fenway that fateful night decided that taunting wasn’t enough and that objects needed to be thrown at the other team’s players. That’s what happened to Orioles outfielder Adam Jones as some Red Sox fans decided to pelt him with peanuts. Jones, who is black, said after the game that a fan said the “N” word at him (that person was ejected after that) and talked about the bad experiences he’s had in Boston over the years. Yankees pitcher C.C. Sabathia echoed his statements and said that black players are aware that they will not be treated nicely at Fenway.

Boston’s split personality then fully revealed itself publicly the following day. While government leaders and the Red Sox heavily condemned the way Jones was treated, a small but vocal contingent decided to take to Twitter and the airwaves demanding proof that the slur was used including some members of the media and a former Red Sox player. One reporter wouldn’t believe Jones until some other white reporter confirmed it, which says a lot about him and he was rightfully called out for it. Former Sox pitcher Curt Schilling also demanded proof and stated that Jones was just “creating a situation”. Schilling is apparently unaware that he probably created one of his own with his asinine comment. Schilling and some other people also defended Boston saying that it isn’t racist, or isn’t any more racist than other cities. Both of these statements are true. You can’t condemn an entire city over the actions of a few and racism does exist in other areas. I’ve covered sports in five different states and I can say that racism exists in each of them, some more obvious than others, but it occurs everywhere. I haven’t heard the “N” word, but I’m also not of the mindset that if I didn’t hear it, that it’s never happened. That’s a remarkably dumb way of seeing the world. I wasn’t at a track meet earlier this week, but that doesn’t mean Marquette didn’t win it.

Despite the screams of those demanding proof of racism, the majority of Sox fans and city residents decided to take a stand against it. When Jones came up to the plate for his first at-bat the following day, Sox fans rose to their feet and gave him a standing ovation. Whether it was expressing support for him or a form of apology for the actions of one person, it was a nice gesture. The Red Sox, to their credit, have now banned the individual responsible for the incident and banned him for life from Fenway. Also a good gesture, but now the Sox have the difficult task of maintaining that policy. Unless they develop facial recognition systems or plaster wanted posters around the ballpark, I’m not sure it can be done.

The issue seems to be somewhat resolved, but now the debate has turned to free speech and whether someone should be punished for utilizing their First Amendment rights. Did the person responsible have a right to say what he did? Yes, but that does not exclude him from facing the consequences of what he said. The First Amendment only protects you from the government, not anywhere else, so that argument can get put to rest pretty quickly.

What happened in Boston was ugly, but what has happened since has been great. The Red Sox and Orioles continued their childish dispute on the field, but the problem in the stands at Fenway is starting to be quelled. Sports fans and non-fans alike have stood up and said that what happened to Jones is not okay, which is something that we should take pride in.

Whenever you enter a stadium or arena, you’re going to hear some things you may find distasteful and this may include some racial, sexist or homophobic/transphobic statements. Just as they have a right to say it, that doesn’t mean you have to put up with it.  

Boston may have a split personality, but now it seems determined not to let the ugly one win. Hopefully, the rest of us can try to do the same.

Ryan Stieg can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 252. His email address is rstieg@miningjournal.net.