The World Series is over. The Los Angeles Dodgers are world champions and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts – with two championships to his name – is one step closer to earning long-awaited recognition as one of the greatest managers in baseball.

Last night, Roberts probably punched his ticket into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

But before we give in to distraction and celebration, before we say goodbye to baseball season, there was an incident at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday that still sticks in my mind. And with a crucial presidential election taking place next week, the incident has in many ways highlighted the challenges we face as a nation.

After all, baseball is our cherished national pastime.

The image that sticks in my head is of two Yankees fans attacking Dodgers star right fielder Mookie Betts as he jumped to make a catch in foul territory. One fan grabbed Betts’ glove and tried to force the ball away. His accomplice punched Betts’ hand away as he tried to grab the ball.

As I watched repeated replays of these two thugs attacking the Dodgers’ black superstar, I had a moment of clarity.

For months I’ve been trying to put into words the moment in history we’re in, trying to articulate why it’s so important—critical—that voters make the wise decision in next week’s presidential election. We are at a time in history – and have been for some time – when the unthinkable has become the norm. The era culminated on January 6, 2021, when the US Capitol in Washington was attacked by a mob trying to overturn the results of an election that voted then-President Donald Trump out of office.

Who would have thought that this kind of mob violence could happen in our country and in our democracy? In retrospect, we had seen an escalation of inflammatory, divisive rhetoric over the past four years and a climate in which rudeness, incivility and blatant disregard for norms had become the norm.

What happened at Yankees Stadium earlier this week wasn’t January 6 – not close. But I was gripped by the same feeling of watching the unthinkable as the two spectators attacked Betts in front of the world with no apparent sense of shame.

I’ve seen plenty of examples of fan interference, with overzealous fans putting out their gloves to catch something. I’ve seen worse once. Twenty-two years ago, in September 2002, Kansas City Royals first base coach Tom Gamboa was attacked on the field by a father and his son in the ninth inning of a game in Chicago. Gamboa suffered several cuts and a large bruise on his forehead.

What happened to Betts on Tuesday went beyond interference. One man tried to pry open Betts’ glove and rip the ball, while the other swatted Betts’ free hand away as he tried to grab the ball. Betts was not injured, the ball went out and the batter was also called out. Shortly after the incident, security arrived to escort the two men out of the stadium.

There are some worse parts to the story.

The first came when the two thugs were escorted out of the stadium by security guards. As they left, the pair were cheered, patted on the back and given words of encouragement. Instead of banning the two men from Yankees Stadium for life, the Yankees and MLB simply said they couldn’t come back for Game 5. That’s a slap on the wrist.

The league released statements: “The safety and security of players, fans and stadium personnel is the fundamental element of any event held at Yankee Stadium, and it should not be compromised.”

The league said it has a zero-tolerance policy “towards the type of behavior exhibited last night.”

A one-match ban was not enough.

After the attack on Gamboa, Royals outfielder Chuck Knoblauch called on MLB to take steps to protect players. “It’s amazing that something like this hasn’t happened before,” he said at the time. “But it is a fear for players because it seems like the fans are becoming more and more hostile.”

We then learn, because the two men were wanted for interviews and happily obliged, that it was far from a spontaneous act, as the two men intended to do something like this if the opportunity ever arose.

According to them, and according to those who cheered them on, the two men were just doing their duty as fans.

After Tuesday’s game, Betts downplayed the event, saying he was more focused on winning Game 5 on Wednesday, which the Dodgers did. But too many people have been willing to explain away the attack on Betts because fans are fans.

Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo was not really bothered by the incident. “I saw it. It was perhaps one of the most extreme forms of trying to rip a ball out,” he said. “But at the same time, it’s a bit like New York. I feel like that’s what you expect here. You expect some unique things.

“In the end I didn’t feel like it was too serious. I think Mookie kind of shook it off too. That’s exactly the passion that New Yorkers have, I think.”

During an interview on the Op & Adams Show on FanDuel TV Wednesday, Rob Gronkowski, a former All-Pro NFL tight end, said one of the fans involved in the attack on Betts was an acquaintance of his at the University of Arizona. Gronkowski said the fan who interfered with Betts was a member of the school’s hockey team, saying, “The entire hockey team were absolute maniacs.” In what sounded like an apology. Gronkowski said, “He was all in for his teams. He’s all in for the Yankees. That describes him perfectly: he does whatever it takes to help his team.

“It’s absolutely unacceptable in the sports world, but when you’re such a big fan, that’s what fans do when they get the chance to do it.”

The bottom line is that baseball had an obligation to do more and it failed.

Now that the World Series is over and a presidential election is on the horizon, what happened to Betts on Tuesday will fade into history and be quickly forgotten. But the episode, forgotten or not, was a microcosm of an atmosphere of violence and equality in which we find ourselves.

The World Series is over, but our deep-seated problems may be just beginning.