The Arizona Cardinals have issued an apology to a woman who was told to remove her “Make America Great Again” hat before entering State Farm Stadium for a game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. The team acknowledged the situation in a statement provided to TV5s News Digital on Wednesday, clarifying that the incident was a misunderstanding.
According to the statement, a member of the stadium’s security team misinterpreted the venue’s policy regarding prohibited items, which typically bans “signage, posters, flags, or displays that are political in nature.” However, the policy did not apply to the woman’s hat. The team expressed its commitment to improving communication with stadium staff to avoid similar misunderstandings in the future. They also confirmed they had reached out to the individual involved, informing her that the experience she had was inconsistent with the stadium’s usual policies, and offered their apologies.
The woman, identified as Susan Rosener, is an Arizona native and a loyal season ticket holder for the Cardinals. On Sunday, she and her husband were on their way to their seats, excited to watch the Cardinals’ dominant 41-10 victory over the Rams. However, before reaching their section, a staff member stopped her and told her she needed to remove her hat, which featured the slogan from former President Trump’s campaign.
“You can’t bring that in here,” the staff member reportedly said, as per Rosener’s account shared with News 12 Phoenix.
The staff member then insisted that no political apparel was allowed in the stadium, saying, “No political hats or shirts.” Rosener, puzzled by the situation, responded, “I haven’t heard that at all. That doesn’t make sense to me.” But the staffer remained firm, telling her, “I said, take your hat off.”
In hindsight, Rosener shared that she wished she had stood her ground. “I wasn’t sure what the repercussions would be, and my husband would kill me if I did something that jeopardized our season tickets somehow,” she added, reflecting on the incident.
The incident first gained attention when Alyssa Goncales, a field representative for Turning Point Action, posted about it on X (formerly Twitter). Goncales shared screenshots of text messages from other alleged attendees, claiming that they were also forced to remove their MAGA hats or had witnessed others being told to do so.
In response to these additional claims, the Arizona Cardinals issued another statement to TV5s News Digital, addressing the broader accusations. “We have only heard from one individual. But if there were others who had similar experiences, that should not have happened either. Again, it’s not our practice, and in the 18+ seasons we’ve been in this stadium, it apparently has never occurred previously. Moving forward, we will work with all third-party groups that interact with our fans to make this policy abundantly clear,” the team stated.
While the Cardinals maintain a list of prohibited items for entry into State Farm Stadium, “political hats or shirts” are not explicitly banned, further highlighting the misunderstanding that took place during the incident.
This isn’t the first time pro-Trump merchandise has caused a stir at an American sporting event. In the spring and summer of 2021, a man named Dion Cini was removed from multiple Major League Baseball games—at Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, and Citizens Bank Park—after hanging banners that read “Trump Won! Save America!” Cini, now a conservative political influencer on X, shared bodycam footage of the times he was escorted out of the stadiums by police.
Brett Favre Supports Patrick Mahomes’ Neutral Stance on Presidential Endorsements Amid Trump vs. Taylor Swift Debate
On June 27 of that year, Dion Cini posted images on X (formerly Twitter) showing what he claimed to be a letter from Major League Baseball (MLB), informing him that he had been banned from attending any MLB games until further notice. The letter, presumably sent due to his political displays at previous events, became a focal point for discussions on free speech at sporting venues.
Cini, reflecting on the recent incident involving Susan Rosener in an interview with TV5s News Digital, expressed his frustration with what he perceives as the current state of America. “This is just the kind of country we’ve turned into. The fact that she complied and put her hat in the trash is exactly why they asked her to do it—because they knew she would. That’s a snapshot of where America is today,” Cini remarked. “You’d have to forcefully take my MAGA hat off! I’ve never removed my MAGA hat for anyone.”
Arizona, considered a critical battleground in the upcoming election, has drawn significant attention. Donald Trump secured a victory in the state in 2016 but lost it in 2020, making it a focal point for both parties as election day approaches. A TV5s News poll from August 28 indicated that Vice President Kamala Harris leads Trump by less than one point in Arizona.
In other key races, Democrat Ruben Gallego currently holds a significant lead over Republican Kari Lake in the Arizona Senate race, polling at 56% to 41%. Similarly, Democrat Jacky Rosen is ahead of Republican Sam Brown by 55% to 41% in the Nevada Senate race. In North Carolina’s gubernatorial contest, Democrat Josh Stein is leading Republican Mark Robinson by 54% to 43%.
In the wake of Rosener’s experience at the Cardinals game, Kari Lake, a prominent Republican figure, has urged Cardinals fans to show their support for Donald Trump by wearing MAGA hats at all home games for the remainder of the season. “Every fan who loves America should wear their MAGA hat to EVERY Arizona Cardinals game this season,” Lake wrote in a post on X in response to the incident.
Meanwhile, concerns regarding the possibility of illegal immigrants casting ballots in the upcoming Arizona election have become widespread. A “coding oversight” in the state’s voter registration software has raised questions about the citizenship status of 100,000 registered voters. Despite the controversy, Arizona’s Democratic Secretary of State, Adrian Fontes, has vowed to send ballots to those affected. During a press conference on Tuesday, Fontes said, “I am not willing to disenfranchise this many voters by suddenly restricting them to a federal-only ballot when they had no prior knowledge of this issue. We inherited this problem, and we are actively working to resolve it.” He further emphasized that the issue would be addressed to ensure a smooth voting process.
