Over the weekend, a California high school football game exploded in controversy after the principal of one high school noticed pro-Trump and racist signs.
Jeff Bishop, principal of Santa Ana High School, posted about the alarming behavior on Facebook.
"It would have been easy to blame [the loss of the game on] the racist welcome the 'Saints' received as they walked into the stadium and read the posters referencing - Trump, 'We love White,' 'Build the Wall' and various other politically and racially-charged statements," he wrote.
The Santa Ana High School student body is predominantly Hispanic, reports the Orange County Register. Students at Aliso Niguel High School are mostly white.
He also heard spectators shout "USA, USA, USA!" as if the teams were from different countries.
"After hearing chants from the student cheering section - "USA-USA-USA" after the first two touchdowns, morally - I could not ignore it anymore! After talking to the principal and watching her and her Assistant principals snag the signs away from these disrespectful and out of control students - it seemed to help," he wrote.
Bishop described confronting the principal of Aliso Niguel.
“I told her ‘You’re playing Americans. You’re playing ‘Dreamers,’ ” Bishop told the OC Register. "I don’t understand the USA pride thing when you score. And if I hear it one more time, I am walking off the field with the team.’ ”
School officials removed the offensive signs and are trying to make sense of the controversy. They say they did not intend to allow politics—or racism—into the game.
“But we do understand what people may have felt,” the principal of Aliso Niguel said. “We have deep respect for Santa Ana High School. We will continue to look into things Monday to further evaluate our event.”