Federal Troops Did Not Tear-Gas the Yankees
The Claim
Federal troops tear-gassed the New York Yankees off the field so US President Donald Trump could throw out the first pitch before the team’s opening home game.
News posted on
Emerging story
On July 21, 2020, the publication The Onion published an article showing photo evidence that federal troops had tear-gassed Yankee Stadium before Donald Trump’s first pitch of the game. The claim has subsequently gone viral on social media, specifically Twitter, and many have shared the original story as well as the claim itself apart from the story.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation into this claim reveals it to be false. The Onion is a well-known satire publication. For example, on their website, The Onion claims “rising from its humble beginnings as a print newspaper in 1756, The Onion now enjoys a daily readership of 4.3 trillion and has grown into the single most powerful and influential organization in human history.” Despite this, many often take their headlines to be factually true, and so it is necessary to remind our readership of this periodically.
