Attendees at a Lowell High School baseball game last spring heard varsity players make racist comments toward a competing team, and while they’re now being reprimanded, they were allowed to complete the championship.
The alleged incident happened in May, when Lowell’s varsity baseball players and coaches attended the San Francisco junior varsity championship game against Lincoln High School to support the school’s younger players, as SFGate reported at the time.
During the seventh inning, while Lowell was leading, varsity players in the stands allegedly directed racist noises and chants at Black and Latino players on the field, according to at least one Reddit user who said they were in attendance.
SFGate reported that the game continued without an apparent intervention over the taunt, and Lincoln won the game. Three days later, Lowell’s varsity team beat Lincoln at Oracle Park, advancing to the regional tournament.
ABC 7 reports that the California Interscholastic Federation subsequently investigated and determined that Lowell had violated sportsmanship rules. The San Francisco Unified School District conducted its own investigation as well, with the district releasing its findings Sunday during a virtual meeting.
As a result, Lowell’s varsity team will be required to forfeit three games, and head coach Michael Sera will be replaced by an interim head coach.
“There is no place for racism, discrimination, or radicalized harm in the Lowell community or anywhere in the district,” SFUSD said in a statement.
SFGate notes that neither Lowell nor SFUSD has explained what disciplinary action, if any, was taken immediately after the May incident or why the varsity team and its coaches were allowed to continue competing.
Related: Lowell High School Teacher on Leave After Giving Students Quizzes Demeaning Girls, ‘Fat Kids’
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