The fan, who has not been identified publicly, has been banned "indefinitely" from Wrigley Field.

A Chicago Cubs fan who appeared to flash a hand gesture commonly associated with white supremacists has been banned indefinitely from Wrigley Field.

In a report from the Chicago Tribune, the fan made an upside-down "OK" sign behind NBC Sports Chicago reporter and former Cubs outfielder Doug Glanville during Tuesday's game against the Miami Marlins. Glanville is a black man.

After the fan failed to come forward, as well as an investigation of the incident, the Cubs concluded that the fan had violated the team's guest code of conduct.

"As a result, after repeated attempts to reach this individual by phone, we sent a letter to the individual notifying him of our findings and our decision that, effectively immediately, he will not be permitted on the grounds of Wrigley Field or other ticketed areas indefinitely," Crane Kenney, Cubs president of business operations, said.

"We further communicated if he attempts to enter Wrigley Field or other ticketed areas, he may be subject to prosecution for criminal trespass to property," Kenney added.

As the Anti-Defamation League has reported, the "OK" hand gesture recently emerged as a sign for "white power."

"In 2017, the 'okay' hand gesture acquired a new and different significance thanks to a hoax by members of the website 4chan to falsely promote the gesture as a hate symbol, claiming that the gesture represented the letters 'wp,' for 'white power,'" the site explained.

"...the hoax was so successful the symbol became a popular trolling tactic on the part of right-leaning individuals, who would often post photos to social media of themselves posing while making the 'okay' gesture," the site continued. "By 2019, at least some white supremacists seem to have abandoned the ironic or satiric intent behind the original trolling campaign and used the symbol as a sincere expression of white supremacy..."

The hand gesture is also associated with "the circle game," but the Cubs are convinced that he still violated the team's guest code of conduct.

"... the judgment to use that in connection with a respected reporter who happens to be African-American doing his job...that connection and, in his mind, coincidence is not going to fly here," Kenney said in an interview with WSCR-AM 670.

Glanville also responded to the incident, saying he learned of what happened following the game.

"They have reached out to me and are supportive of my role in the broadcast and continue to have a desire to uphold an inclusive environment at Wrigley Field," Glanville said. "They have displayed sensitivity as to how the implications of this would affect me as a person of color."

Source: Chicago Tribune