A fan got kicked out of a baseball stadium last week because the message on his hat appeared to violate a rule against displaying political slogans.
The offending political message? The seemingly anodyne “Canada is not for sale.”
Oh, yes, this happened in Canada.
On Thursday afternoon, Dan Begley, a retired financial adviser, attended the Blue Jays’ opening game against the Baltimore Orioles at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. On his head was a red baseball cap with white lettering proclaiming Canada’s autonomy. It was seemingly uncontroversial gear for a 70-year-old from the Toronto suburb Etobicoke who has been a fan of the team since it debuted in 1977.
Mr. Begley arrived an hour and a half before game time, and said he received a compliment on his hat from a beer vendor. Then, just before the first pitch, his day took a turn.
“The usher approached me and said that they have a policy against political statements,” Mr. Begley said in an interview. “I wasn’t even sure what she was talking about, but I realized it was my hat, and she said I would have to remove it or turn it backward.”
It turns out that there is a Rogers Centre rule barring “costumes, clothing and accessories that are inappropriate, unlawful, indecent, obstructive, disparaging, offensive, objectionable or intended to draw attention to international, political or other similar events.” (For the record, the stadium also bars outside alcohol, squirt guns, brooms and hoverboards.)