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The Washington Nationals ejected a player from their home Nationals Park after displaying a banner promoting a white nationalist website during a game on Sunday.
The team released a statement to multiple media outlets saying it identified at least one of the people involved, although it would not release their identity.
“The Washington Nationals strongly condemn discriminatory and hateful rhetoric, and we strive to make our home field a safe place for our fans,” read the Nationals’ statement after the game against the Baltimore Orioles.
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A Washington Nationals Armed Forces Weekend cap sits in the dugout during the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington, DC on May 16, 2026. (Hannah Foslien/MLB Photos)
During the Nationals’ game against the Orioles on Sunday, three people unfurled the banner in an upper deck section along the first base line at Nationals Park, promoting the white nationalist website and calling for the deportation of “100+ million.”
Attendees reportedly resisted removing the banner after an officer tried to confiscate it before they left the ballpark, according to a team spokesman.
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Jake Lang, a conservative influencer and among those who stormed The US Capitol on January 6, took credit for the banner on his social media.
The banner was unfurled during the Nationals’ customary “Salute to Service” ceremony, in which they honor a veteran of military service, before the start of the fourth inning.
Nationals Park guidelines state that “signs, banners and fan activities” must not “distract from the enjoyment of sports games or other forms of entertainment.” The stadium is also “not a forum or place for the use of the public at large for assembly and speech, for the use of certain speakers, or for the discussion of certain subjects.”
The Washington Nationals logo is displayed at Nationals Park before the game between the Washington Nationals and the New York Mets in Washington, DC on May 13, 2023. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
There is also a restriction on the size and material of objects, which accounts for how the banner entered the stadium in the first place.
It is currently unclear how the banner got through stadium security, according to The Athletic.
Signs and banners must also comply with Major League Baseball guidelines as well as the Nationals Guest Conduct Policy. The policies prohibit any “derogatory matter related to race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, age, personal appearance, family status, familial responsibility, baccalaureate, political affiliation, source of income, status as a victim of a residence or other business category, residence in a business or other category. protected by DC law.”
A New Era Washington Nationals baseball hat is seen during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pa., on April 16, 2026. (Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
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The Nationals lost to the Orioles, 7-3, on Sunday. They fell to 23-24 on the season, while the Orioles improved to 21-26.
