A Real Salt Lake supporter was removed from America First Field in Sandy during Saturday’s match against Sporting Kansas City because he refused to take off a red “Make America Great Again” hat. The event was recorded in a video shared on X and quickly went viral.
Real Salt Lake later apologized publicly. “We apologize to the fan and welcome him and his family to join us at future Real Salt Lake games,” the club stated. It highlighted the diversity of its supporters and aims to bring the community together through soccer.
The team’s code of conduct bans “signs, symbols or images … advocating for or against any candidate, political party, legislative issue, or government action.” However, Major League Soccer clarified that this rule does not cover apparel like hats.
This situation is similar to a July incident in St. Louis, where a fan was also escorted out for wearing the same hat. These issues raise questions about how teams should handle political expressions at games and where the balance should be between neutrality and respecting fans’ rights to express themselves.
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