Ex-MLB player Cody Decker says that Nazi salute at the Oakland A’s game is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to anti-Semitism in pro baseball … insisting the problem is MUCH worse than it seems.
Decker — who is Jewish — was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2009 and made his MLB debut in 2015. He retired from pro baseball in 2019.
In other words, Cody’s been around the game a LONG time and has personally dealt with anti-Semitism … a lot.
“I mean the amount of Nazis jokes I’ve dealt with throughout my entire career is pretty staggering,” Decker says.
When it comes to Oakland A’s bench coach Ryan Christenson — who threw up a Hitler salute during Thursday’s game — Decker says things would have gone down much differently after the game if he was on that team.
“If I was in that locker room, what I’d have to go into that office and have to do with that coach?! We would have to have a very harsh conversation or we would have to shut the door and maybe throw punches because that’s unacceptable. Plain and simple.”
During our conversation, Decker describes several times he dealt with blunt anti-Semitism from other players, coaches and fans … and it’s downright ridiculous.
“If you think ant-Semitism is not rampant throughout baseball!? … It’s a very, very, very Christian sport and not all of the players that are very, very Christian are the brightest of Christians. That’s not knocking Christianity by any stretch of the imagination, I’m just telling you what I’ve death with throughout my career by being called multiple Jewish slurs by fans, by teammates.”
So, what should happen with Christenson?
“I think a fair thing would be a suspension,” Decker says … while suggesting an educational component to educate Christenson on the dangers of anti-Semitism.
“I would like him to educate himself on the situation, understanding why this is so offensive, why this isn’t funny to people like me and honestly players like me. Let him know what I’ve been through that’s he’s never been through and what my family’s been through that his family luckily didn’t have to go through and why this is unacceptable.”
