Allegations of racist taunts swirl during East Bay high school baseball game

ALBANY, Calif. - An East Bay high school varsity baseball team celebrated its senior night on Friday, but the excitement was overshadowed by a disturbing scene at a recent game where several players faced racist taunts from opposing players.

Racial taunts caught on video

What we know:

A video clip posted online showed portions of an April 23 game between Albany High School's varsity baseball team and Pinole Valley High School. The video appears to show racist taunts and jeers hurled by players on Pinole's team at their opponents.

"We record every single game so the boys can have highlights," said Eugene Lee, an Albany parent who also serves as the chief scorekeeper. "For my son, they chanted 'PF Chang, is that you?' They said, 'He can't see through those eyes,'" Lee recalled.

Team accused in another incident

Dig deeper:

Lee said he considered letting the offense slide until he discussed the incident with his family and then found out Pinole Valley players were accused of committing a similar offense a week earlier against Asian players on El Cerrito High School's baseball team.

"Bigoted slurs were directed towards my child and the other Asian American baseball player on El Cerrito High," said El Cerrito parent Anatalio Ubalde.

"Racist actions from the Pinole Valley varsity baseball team are clearly systemic. This is not an isolated issue," said Dr. Shaun Fletcher, a public relations and sports communication expert at San Jose State. "This rises well beyond simple heckling or trying to get under your opponent's skin."

Albany Unified School District Superintendent Sara Stone sent a letter to parents that read in part, "Members of the Albany team and community were subjected to racist remarks. AUSD is committed to protecting all of our students from racial harassment and intimidation. Albany High student athletes know that they are held to high standards of respectful and ethical behavior. We expect the same from the teams we meet in friendly competition and will not tolerate racialized harassment."

Stone said she has reached out to the West Contra Costa Unified superintendent and that the situation is not fully resolved.

Pinole Valley apologizes 

What they're saying:

Todd Irving, the principal of Pinole Valley, penned an apology letter that read in part, "I want to extend our sincere concern and apologies regarding the unacceptable conduct that occurred..."

Irving said he met with his team and reaffirmed that racist and unsportsmanlike behavior won't be tolerated. He also said that all players were required to retake their sportsmanship certification.

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‘Hate onto the field’

Why you should care:

"You've brought hate onto the field and now it's overflowed into the community," said Lee. Added Stone, "If my students, if my players had done the same thing, they would not be playing baseball for the rest of the season."

Albany school district officials and experts said the punishment of the offending Pinole Valley students should be swift and targeted.

"They must come with something beyond just words and beyond just conversation that ensures it's a safe space. Actions speak louder than words," said Fletcher.

Both school districts are investigating, and the California Interscholastic Federation, the governing body, could too.

As for the schools in question, they're still playing and could face each other in upcoming playoff games. If that happens, some Albany players have said they would rather forfeit than play Pinole Valley.

Jesse Gary is a reporter based in the South Bay bureau. Follow him on the Instagram platform, @jessegontv and on Facebook, @JesseKTVU.