Ex-MLB player says anti-Semitism is very alive in pro baseball
One former Major League Baseball player, who is Jewish, wasn't surprised to see Ryan Christenson throw up a Hitler salute on Thursday.
Cody Decker, who used to play for the San Diego Padres, among others, revealed that anti-Semitism in pro baseball is very much alive, according to TMZ Sports:
"I mean the amount of Nazis jokes I've dealt with throughout my entire career is pretty staggering. If you think ant-Semitism is not rampant throughout baseball!? ... It's a very, very, very Christian sport and not all of the players that are very, very Christian are the brightest of Christians. That's not knocking Christianity by any stretch of the imagination, I'm just telling you what I've dealt with throughout my career by being called multiple Jewish slurs by fans, by teammates."
Christenson, a bench coach for the Oakland A's, appeared to have made a gesture resembling the Nazi salute, and now he claims it was "unintentional" and apologized for doing it.
Christenson was seen on camera extending his right arm in the air as the team made their way to the dugout.
A's closer Liam Hendricks corrected Christenson's gesture, and the bench coach claims he was trying to adapt the elbow bump that teams now do in place of high-fives due to coronavirus concerns.
With the movement surrounding racial equality in today's society, Christenson's gesture was that much more distasteful.
While the A's apologized, it appears Christenson won't be facing supplemental discipline from the organization or MLB.
However, Decker believes Christenson should be suspended for making the gesture but also make himself more educated on the topic and why what he did is so offensive.
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