On Tuesday, a video of an older Chicago Cubs fan slapping a younger man for sitting during the playing of the national anthem at Wrigley Field went viral on social media. The Cubs fan who did the slapping has now revealed what happened afterward and how, amazingly, it actually ended well.
On July 19, during the Jersey Girls’ rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” prior to the Chicago Cubs vs. Minnesota Twins game, a camera caught an older fan sporting a Cubs jersey slapping another spectator. It appeared that the attacker objected to the victim not standing for the anthem.
Robert “Bob” Chavez has now been identified as the man who slapped the younger fan. It turns out that Chavez served in Vietnam and lost a number of friends in that war.
Chavez claimed that, despite telling the young man about his military experiences and his status as a veteran, the young man remained seated. So he slapped him in the head.
What the viral video doesn’t show
While his actions certainly sparked considerable debate over who was right and who was wrong in the incident, Chavez says there is more to the story. A lot more.
He told TMZ that after the slap heard ’round the internet, he and the younger fan both apologized. Chavez added that the younger man even brought him a beer and they discussed their passionate feelings about the song and what they believe it stands for.
When security came over to kick him out for the slap, the younger fan asked them not to because they had no beef.
The Chicago Cubs corroborated Bob Chavez’s story, telling TMZ, “The National Anthem is an important tradition at Chicago Cubs games. While we respect the rights of individuals to decide for themselves, we encourage every fan to stand, if they are able, and to remove their caps while the anthem is being played.
“At the same time, the safety and security of our fans is our top priority. Our security team spoke with the fan who had been struck. He indicated that the matter had been resolved, he did not want to have anyone ejected from the ballpark or any further action taken, and we respected his wishes.’