Others pointed out that the informal rules of the circle game require the hand gesture to be made below the waist. The Cubs fan had his hand above his waist

Some, including former All-Star pitcher Curt Schilling, contend the man was playing the juvenile 'circle game,' which involves a similar hand gesture

The Chicago Cubs have indefinitely banned the fan who used what some have interpreted as a racist hand gesture behind an African American on-field reporter during Tuesday's game at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs sent a letter Wednesday to the bearded man who flashed the offensive sign in back of former Cubs outfielder Doug Glanville, who was working for NBC Sports Chicago on Tuesday night. The team said it had been unable to contact the fan by phone, and didn't publicly identify him.

President of Business Operations Crane Kenney said the fan could be prosecuted for criminal trespass if he tries to enter the stadium.

'The individual responsible will not be welcome back at Wrigley Field,' Cubs spokesman Julian Green said.

Green said the man purchased his ticket on StubHub. Another fan reported his gesture to the team by text during Tuesday's game against the Miami Marlins - by the time security arrived, the man was gone.

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The Chicago Cubs are investigating a fan who appeared to use a hand gesture associated with white supremacy during Tuesday's game broadcast. During a segment on NBC Sports Chicago with sideline reporter and former Cubs centerfielder Doug Glanville, a white fan moved his hand into frame and flashed the gesture, which looks like the 'OK' sign

Am I seeing things or is this jack wagon behind Glanville flashing the white supremacy sign? @SarahSpain @BleacherNation pic.twitter.com/6p7d79vIVR — Chad Rehan (@ChadRehan) May 8, 2019

Glanville, who played three seasons for the Cubs, was standing beside the dugout discussing Chicago's surging offense when the man seated in the background started gesturing.

Wearing a gray Cubs sweatshirt and blue pants, he made an upside-down 'OK' sign near Glanville's head during the broadcast.

The gesture is associated with the juvenile 'circle game,' where someone makes a circle with their index finger and thumb, and holds it below their waist. If they can trick a friend or sibling into looking at it, then they can punch that person in the shoulder.

But the symbol has also become associated with white supremacy.

WHAT IS THE JUVENILE 'CIRCLE GAME'? Many American children grow up playing the sophomoric 'circle game,' in which one person makes an 'OK' sign with their hand and holds it below their waist. If another person - perhaps a friend or sibling - sees the hand gesture, then the person who flashed the 'OK' sign can punch them in the shoulder. The challenge is to trick friends into looking down at the gesture, which is made using the thumb and either the middle or index finger on the same hand. Advertisement

'It doesn't matter either way,' Green said. 'This was bad judgment on the part of the individual.

'Whether sophomoric behavior or some other stunt, to use that in connection with a respected journalist, who happens to be African American, and doing his job to deliver enjoyment to our fans is ignorant. It has no place at Wrigley Field.'

The decision sparked immediate debate online, with some arguing that the gesture was racist and others believing the man in question was playing the 'circle game.'

'You have got to be f***ing kidding me,' tweeted retired All-Star pitcher Curt Schilling.

Schilling specifically called out Cubs general manager Theo Epstein, who actually traded for Schilling in Boston in 2004.

'Theo has been in charge of what, 2 clubhouses where that game was played every day of every game of every season of every year,' Schilling wrote. 'Since I played that game with black teammates, latino, mexican, Japanese and others does that make us ALL racist?'

But as several peopled pointed out on Twitter, the unidentified bearded man made the hand gesture above his waist, which doesn't support the 'circle game' theory.

'Circle game is below the waist only,' wrote on Twitter user. 'Not buying it.'

Retired All-Star pitcher Curt Schilling specifically called out Chicago Cubs general manager Theo Epstein, who actually traded for Schilling in Boston in 2004

But as several peopled pointed out on Twitter, the unidentified bearded man made the hand gesture above his waist, which doesn't support the 'circle game' theory

According to the Anti Defamation League, the 'OK' hand gesture 'acquired a new and different significance thanks to a hoax by members of the website 4chan. The group falsely promoted the hand sign as a hate symbol, claiming that the gesture represented the letters "wp," for "white power."'

But while the new meaning began as a hoax, the gesture has been flashed by a number of individuals and groups that have been accused of racism.

According to the Anti Defamation League, the 'OK' 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"'

'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,' read a page on the Anti Defamation League website.

Several members of the Proud Boys, a group the Southern Poverty Law Center calls an 'alt-right fight club,' have been pictured using the gesture with political consultant and Donald Trump supporter Roger Stone.

Richard Spencer, a self-described white nationalist, tweeted a picture of himself using the hand gesture in front of Trump's hotel in Washington D.C. after Trump's electoral victory in 2016.

Even the suspected white supremacist who shot and killed 49 people at a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand in March was seen using the gesture in court.

Glanville said in a statement he was made aware of what the fan did after the segment. He praised the Cubs and NBC Sports for their 'responsiveness.'

'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,' he said. 'They have displayed sensitivity as to how the implications of this would affect me as a person of color. I am supporting their efforts in fully investigating the matter and I will comment further once the investigation has run its course.'

NBC Sports Chicago senior vice president and general manager Kevin Cross called the fan's behavior 'reprehensible.'

Kenney earlier said 'such ignorant and repulsive behavior is not tolerated' and 'any individual behaving in this manner will not only be removed from the ballpark, but will be permanently banned from Wrigley Field.'

President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein called the gesture 'truly disgusting' and said it 'gave me shivers to watch that.'

'We've made clear how egregious and unacceptable that behavior is and there's no place for it in our society, in baseball and certainly no place at Wrigley Field,' he added.

Richard Spencer, a self-described white nationalist, tweeted a picture of himself using the hand gesture in front of Trump's hotel in Washington D.C. after Trump's 2016 electoral victory

Several members of the Proud Boys, a group the Southern Poverty Law Center calls an 'alt-right fight club,' have been pictured using the gesture with political consultant and Donald Trump supporter Roger Stone

This is not the Cubs' first problem with offensive behavior this year.

Last month, MLB launched an investigation into racist messages sent to Cubs reliever Carl Edwards Jr. on Instagram. Those messages came from several people, agent Lee Long said at the time. Edwards got off to a rough start and was sent to Triple-A Iowa a month ago before getting recalled Monday.

The Cubs also distanced themselves from team patriarch Joe Ricketts in February because of emails written by him that included Islamophobic comments as well as conspiracies about former President Barack Obama's birthplace and education.

President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein called the gesture 'truly disgusting' and said it 'gave me shivers to watch that'

'There is no extra incentive to be proactive and take action against racism and hate speech,' Green said. 'When you see something wrong and offensive, you take swift action period.'

The Cubs certainly are not the only team that has had to deal with racial incidents.

The NHL's Chicago Blackhawks banned four fans last season for directing racist taunts toward Washington Capitals forward Devante Smith-Pelly.

The Boston Red Sox banned a fan that used a racial slur to another fan about the performance of the national anthem as it was being sung by a woman from Kenya. That incident happened just days after Baltimore's Adam Jones was subjected to racial taunts at Fenway Park.

MLB issued a statement Wednesday noting it has a policy that bans derogatory language and actions at its ballparks and requires clubs to have a response plans.

'Our inclusion efforts, policies and bullying prevention programming aim to make our sport and its ballparks welcome to all, and we will do everything possible to accomplish that goal,' MLB said.

In response to the Tweet about the hand gesture, one Twitter user wondered if the person in question was Joe Ricketts, who was recently accused of being a racist after emails emerged in which he floated conspiracy theories about Muslims and the birthplace of Barack Obama