Saturday, June 11 was Star Wars Day at Tropicana Field. The Rays have done this promotion for a few years and it is always popular with the fanbase. This year, however, a fan sign at Star Wars Day caused a disturbance in the Force and turned Tropicana Field security into the Evil Empire.
From the beginning of the game, a fan displayed his "Alderaan was an inside job" sign along the left center Porch area. The sign references a popular meme in the Star Wars Universe and is a satire on American politics. The phrase is similar in Star Wars fandom to the "Death Star was an inside job" and "Solo shot first".
Unfortunately for the fan and his friends, by the fifth inning, Tropicana Field security told him to remove the sign and not display it again. When he asked security why his sign couldn't be displayed, they did not give a clear reason. After a half inning of deliberation, the fan decided to again display his sign. 10 minutes later, security informed him he had to leave the stadium. His three friends followed him out.
When I personally asked the security people if they knew the meaning of his sign, they admitted they did not.
According to the "A-Z Ballpark Guide" webpage for Tropicana Field, signs are allowed and permitted.
BANNERS AND SIGNS - Banners, signs and flags (without flag poles) may be displayed in the stadium, provided that they are baseball-related and do not contain profanity, discriminatory language, indecent images, political statements, or commercial references. Banners, signs, and flags must be hand-held and may not be hung on any of the outfield walls, over the playing field walls, over existing stadium signage, or held in such a way as to obstruct other guests' views. Management reserves the right to remove any sign or banner at any time.Granted, "Alderaan was an inside job" is not baseball-related. But it is in line with the marketing promotion designed to bring fans to the stadium. It is a Star Wars-related sign.
Is it political? Possibly. But only in the realm of the Star Wars and the promotion. It is no different than a "Vote for Chewbacca" or a "Down with the Empire" sign. It is part of Star Wars fandom.
The Star Wars promotion openly disregards other Tropicana Field rules, especially in regards to sticks and poles. According to the rules,
BATS AND BROOMS - Bats and brooms are allowed inside the stadium. Once inside, fans will not be allowed to display such items if they impede another guest's view or become a safety issue. Sticks and/or poles of any other type are not permitted at any time.No other sticks and poles are permitted. So all the lightsabers brought in by kids should not have been allowed.
Promotional events are for fans to have fun. Not allowing fans to bring in signs related to the promotion is counter to the intent of the promotion. I would guess the fan and his friends did not come to Tropicana Field to ruffle the feathers of security. They came to enjoy a baseball game and enjoy being Star Wars fans among other baseball-enjoying Star Wars fans.
This also brings to question Tropicana Field's security process. The fan mostly likely had his sign when he was screened prior to entering the stadium and he mostly likely had it when he used his ticket to enter the stadium. No one at those checkpoints prevented him from bringing in his sign. He did not create the sign in the stadium. So if the sign was in violation, why was he not prevented from bringing it inside?
Ejecting a fan from Tropicana Field for a sign that is in line with a promotion shows very poor judgement by the Tropicana Field security team. Overbearing security is not how you grow a fanbase. The Rays should contact the fan, apologize, and offer he and his friends four free tickets to another weekend game this season.
Then they should educate their security personnel on Star Wars memes. If they want me to teach a class, I can be there in less than 12 parsecs.