Matt Carpenter denied it was a former President Trump-inspired celebration
The St. Louis Cardinals caught the attention of social media over the weekend when they seemingly performed a home run celebration in homage to former President Trump.
Cardinals designated hitter Alec Burleson was trotting around the bases after a long home run against the Atlanta Braves, and he and his teammates in the dugout put one hand over their right ears and put a fist in the air.
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Keith Olbermann speaks onstage during the Olbermann Panel at the ESPN portion of the 2013 Summer Television Critics Association tour at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on July 24, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
It led to speculation that it was a tribute to Trump, who was wounded in an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. However, Cardinals veteran Matt Carpenter denied after the game it was a tribute to Trump, telling the St. Louis Post-Dispatch it was "definitely not a political statement."
Is this a Trump home run celebration by the Cardinals? pic.twitter.com/f2XrQr0q3u
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 21, 2024
Still, Keith Olbermann insisted that Major League Baseball "ban" the players who performed the celebration, "confiscate" the franchise and "implode" Busch Stadium.
St. Louis Cardinals' Alec Burleson swings in the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, July 21, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)
"Attn @mlb ban these guys from baseball for life, confiscate the @Cardinals franchise, and implode the stadium," he wrote on X, equating the players to "Trump Nazis" and that they should "stick to sports."
"America has had enough of this s---," Olbermann added.
Carpenter also explained that the celebration was actually a call back to Burleson’s college days when he was a rapper nicknamed Biscuit. The hand over the ear was allegedly supposed to be invisible headphones.
Keith Olbermann did not think highly of the home run celebration. (Paul Drinkwater/NBC NewsWire)
Olbermann did not appear to comment on Tampa Bay Rays infielder Taylor Walls, who connected on a double against the New York Yankees, held up a fist and yelled "fight, fight."
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
