Braves Radio Announcers Bizarrely Connect Phillies Star’s Home Run Celebration to the War in Israel

An Atlanta Braves radio announcer made the strange choice to bring up the war in Israel in response to the home run celebration of Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper.

Wednesday night’s game was all about the Phillies as the team dominated the Braves 10-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their playoff series. Harper hit two home runs on the night.

After both home runs by Harper, the 30-year-old did a throat-slashing gesture as he touched home plate, seemingly telling the crowd that the game — and perhaps the series — is over. It wasn’t until the second home run that a noticeably dejected Ben Ingram made the bizarre connection.

“Again gave the throat slashing sign,” Ingram said during the radio broadcast, “which, given today’s climate around the world, I’m not sure that’s quite what anybody wants to see.”

The comments come across as somewhat hypocritical considering the Braves — like other professional sports teams using Native American imagery — regularly have fans do the “tomahawk chop” while singing a war chant. To some Native Americans, the use of the gesture is considered offensive; and during Super Bowl LVII, some of them gathered outside Arizona’s State Farm Stadium to protest the Kansas City Chiefs’ use of it. As the the team took the field, however, Chiefs fans continued the controversial tradition.

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