Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Pirates fans haven’t had much to root for over the past decade, and there’s no real reason to think that’s going to change this year based on the start the team has gotten off to. One diehard supporter attempted to stage a protest by throwing a paper bag over his head at a recent game, but it didn’t last for long after he was forced to remove it courtesy of a technicality.
The Pittsburgh Pirates went 20 years without a playoff appearance during a brutal stretch that began in 1993. They were able to punch their ticket to the postseason three years in a row starting in 2012, but the team headed into the current campaign looking to avoid extending the current drought to 10 years.
They may have one of the best starting pitchers in baseball in the form of Paul Skenes, but a single ace can only do so much to make up for the underwhelming nature of a roster that’s responsible for one of the lowest payrolls Major League Baseball currently has to offer.
The Pirates have gotten off to a 5-8 start this year, and while things could certainly be worse, they’ve already found themselves dealing with multiple controversies thanks to the decision to replace a tribute to Roberto Clemente with a booze ad before backpedaling and a snafu concerning customized bricks that were initially removed from the entrance to PNC Park with no explanation.
According to CBS News, a season ticket holder named Tom Lohr decided to express his displeasure with the current state of the franchise when he attended Wednesday’s game between the Pirates and the Cardinals (a 2-1 win for the home team) by putting a paper bag on his head before making his way into the stadium.
However, things took a turn when an employee approached him during the third inning and informed him he’d have to remove it if he didn’t want to be ejected from the game after they told him, “There’s a no mask policy at the ballpark.”
A spokesperson for the Pirates echoed that sentiment by citing what they admitted was an ” unwritten rule ” that bars fans from covering their entire face while in attendance at a game while asserting it’s a common policy at other venues, which is one of the weakest excuses I’ve ever encountered.
It would be a real shame if this story inspires other fans to start a movement by protesting in the exact same way. A real shame indeed.