A loyal Arizona Cardinals fan and Trump supporter was hassled by a stadium employee to throw away her MAGA hat before she could enter the stadium and enjoy the football game she purchased tickets for.
The Arizona Cardinals have officially stated that an employee’s actions in ejecting a fan for wearing a Make America Great Again (MAGA) hat were due to a ‘misunderstanding’ of the company’s policies, which it has apologized for, according to 12 News.
Susan Rosener, a loyal season ticket holder for 34 years, was at State Farm Stadium for the Cardinals’ first regular season game when she encountered an overzealous security staff member.
As she passed through security with her black MAGA hat, the employee asserted without hesitation that she could not bring “political hats or shirts” into the stadium.
In their statement, the Cardinals acknowledged that political attire is not banned and emphasized that this incident stemmed from a “misinterpretation” by the employee.
“Moving forward we will work to provide clarity to all stadium personnel in these situations,” they said. While I appreciate the team’s commitment to clarifying their policies, the situation should never have occurred in the first place.
Rosener said that she felt like the security officer targeted her specifically because of her political affiliation.
“I am super freedom of speech. I could care less if someone had a Kamala Harris hat or T-shirt on,” Rosener said. “I do feel like part of the problem was this security woman definitely had a bias with my hat,” she exclaimed.
The apology from the Arizona Cardinals seemingly falls short of the necessary accountability that should accompany a blatant act of discrimination and the individual responsible for enforcing this erroneous policy should face appropriate disciplinary measures.
An apology itself does not change the fact that the employee acted out of bias, targeting Rosener specifically for her political beliefs—an unacceptable violation of her rights as an American citizen.
If the Cardinals truly value all their fans, they must take a strong stand against these actions that silence or marginalize conservative viewpoints. Anything less would not only undermine their apology but also suggest that such bias is permissible in their ranks.
Senate nominee Kari Lake, commented on the issue, suggesting that every America loving Cardinals fan should wear a MAGA hat to every game this season.
EVERY @AZCardinals fan who loves America should wear their MAGA hat to EVERY AZ Cardinals game this season. And fans should call @12News at tell them we demand honest reporting going forward and to sideline liberal Mark Lewis until after the election. We demand the truth!… https://t.co/bcw7vsmute
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) September 18, 2024
