The patriotic Chicago Cubs fan who scolded and even hit a young man for not standing up for the National Anthem is now regretfully speaking out.
Robert Chavez, a Vietnam veteran, went viral after he emphatically and a bit violently encouraged someone who was sitting in front of him to stand as the Jersey Girls performed a spirited rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner.” Obviously, we live in a free country, and the young guy can technically sit for the anthem if he wishes to.
But doing so in Chicago – a city known for being loud and proud when the National Anthem starts up – and right next to someone who served his country, ended up being a tough call.
To make a longer story shorter, the man (who is probably in his early 20s) decided he was going to stay seated. Chavez saw the young guy sitting, and walked over to give him a piece of his mind. He demanded that he stand and pay respect to the country, and then gave him a slap upside the head to really get his point across. It wasn’t an overly aggressive slap, but it was definitely enough to make the kid change his mind.
Check it out:
Pretty wild, right
Fortunately, that was as far as the altercation went. The younger man stood up after that, and once he did, the older man thanked him for standing up and respecting the anthem and the flag. And because we live in this viral, internet age, Chavez was tracked down and spoke to Inside Edition about why he slapped the kid:
“I was telling him, ‘Please stand up,’ you know, ‘have some respect.'”
The patriotic Cubs fan went on to tell the man who was sitting that he had served in the Vietnam War, and even told him about some of the conflicts that he was in. Hearing that still wasn’t enough to get the younger fan to stand up, so it appears that’s when Chavez resorted to a knock to the noggin.
When asked if he regretted hitting the other man, Robert Chavez said that he does, and wishes he could take it back:
“Oh yes, definitely. I wish I could. Because, you know, even though I fought in Vietnam and I had buddies killed, you know, I mean, we fight for the rights of the people, and that’s one of his rights. Then later on during the game, next thing you know, he’s buying me a beer. We talked, we shook hands.
I overreacted. I could have handled it better. I wish I would have, but my feelings are still the same. People should stand.”
He definitely crossed a line when he swung (albeit not too hard) at the young man. However, it’s hard to side against someone who served their country – especially in the Vietnam War – and just wanted everyone in the stadium to show proper respect to the flag, to the country, and to those who sacrificed their lives for both.
Chavez knows first hand what that looks like, and was simply caught up in the moment when the younger fan chose to remain seated. I’m glad that cooler heads prevailed, especially in a time when people are so prone to explosive reactions and violence. Something like could so easily devolve into a full blown fight and if you want proof, look at the comments section on any one of the videos of this incident. I was astounded by the number of comments claiming that the man would’ve left on a stretcher had they been in that situation.
According to the Cubs, the issue has been resolved between the parties and they won’t intervene:
“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.”
Respect.
