When a Milwaukee Brewers Fan Crossed the Line: The ICE Comment That Cost a Career
Look, we’ve all been there. Your team’s getting shellacked in a crucial playoff game, emotions are running hotter than a Miller Park bratwurst grill, and that one opposing fan nearby just won’t shut up. But what happened at American Family Field during Game 2 of the NLCS between the Brewers and Dodgers wasn’t just your typical fan frustration boiling over.
This was something uglier, something that made even the most die-hard Brewers faithful cringe when they saw the video.
The Moment Everything Went Sideways For Brewers Fans
Picture this: It’s the seventh inning, the Dodgers are cruising with a 4-1 lead after Enrique Hernández’s homer, and the crowd at American Family Field has gone quieter than a library during finals week. That’s when Ricardo Fosado, a Dodgers fan from Los Angeles visiting Milwaukee on business, decided to have a little fun with the suddenly silent Brewers crowd.
“Why is everyone so quiet?” Fosado asked, recording on his phone like any modern sports fan would. What happened next wasn’t your garden-variety baseball trash talk. Shannon Kobylarczyk, a Brewers fan sitting nearby, first mocked Fosado’s drink choice with a colorful comment about “real men” drinking beer. Fair enough – that’s Baseball 101 ribbing right there.
But then she crossed a line that would cost her everything. “You know what, let’s call ICE,” she said, nudging the person in front of her.
When Sports Fandom Becomes Something Darker
Here’s where this story gets really uncomfortable, folks. Fosado isn’t just some random Dodgers fan – he’s a U.S. Navy veteran who served two tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq after enlisting following 9/11. The man literally put his life on the line defending this country, and here is a Brewers fan threatening to call immigration enforcement on him because of his ethnicity.
“Call ICE. I’m a U.S. citizen, war veteran, baby girl. War veteran, two wars. ICE is not going to do nothing to me,” Fosado said back, and honestly, good for him. The irony is thicker than Milwaukee’s famous custard. A Brewers fan, in a stadium where Latino players like Jackson Chourio help carry the team, decided to weaponize immigration fears against a paying customer who’s served this country more than most of us ever will.
The Swift and Merciless Consequences
By Wednesday morning, Kobylarczyk’s world had collapsed faster than the Brewers’ playoff hopes. Her employer, ManpowerGroup, didn’t mess around – they launched an investigation and showed her the door quicker than you can say “designated for assignment.”
“As soon as we became aware of this video, the individual was placed on immediate leave and we began an investigation,” the company said. “As a result of this process, the employee is no longer with the organization.” Make-A-Wish Wisconsin also confirmed that she resigned from its board of directors. When a charity organization that grants wishes to sick kids wants nothing to do with you, that’s when you know you’ve really stepped in it.
The Bigger Picture For Brewers Nation
Here’s what kills me about this whole mess: Fosado actually had nice things to say about Milwaukee despite getting kicked out of the game (he admitted he swore during the exchange, which got him ejected). “This is my first time at a Brewers game, and I got kicked out, but you know what? I had a great experience, and everybody was really friendly and welcoming. So I don’t take that one incident and label the whole entire day bad,” he said to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
What This Means For Baseball Culture
The Brewers organization has worked hard to build an inclusive, family-friendly atmosphere at American Family Field. They’ve got Latino players contributing at every level of the organization, from Chourio lighting up the majors to prospects throughout their system. Having fans weaponize ethnicity against opposing supporters isn’t just morally wrong – it’s bad for business and terrible for the sport.
Baseball is supposed to bring us together, not divide us along racial lines. When Brewers fans cheer for Chourio’s moonshots but then threaten Latino opponents with deportation, something’s seriously broken in the logic department.
Fosado even showed remarkable restraint about the consequences Kobylarczyk faced. “I feel bad for her,” he said. “We cannot be judged on one mistake, and a lot of emotions were involved.” That is more compassion than most of us would show someone who tried to sic federal agents on us at a ballgame.
The Bottom Line For Brewers Fans Moving Forward
Look, Brewers fans are generally great people. Milwaukee’s got one of the best baseball cultures in America, with tailgating that puts other cities to shame and loyalty that runs deeper than Lake Michigan. But this incident shows what happens when sports passion gets poisoned by ugly prejudices.
The Brewers are down 0-2 heading to Los Angeles for Game 3, and frankly, they’ve got bigger problems than one fan’s career implosion. But as this team fights to extend their season, let’s hope Brewers Nation remembers what really matters: supporting your squad without attacking others for who they are or where they come from.
Because at the end of the day, we’re all just baseball fans trying to enjoy America’s pastime. And Ricardo Fosado? He served this country so we could all argue about whether Christian Yelich will ever find his swing again without worrying about immigration raids at the ballpark.
