The Baltimore Orioles played the final game of their scheduled series against the Chicago White Sox under unusual circumstances last week.

Camden Yards was closed to the public as Orioles spokesman Greg Bader said the club believed Baltimore needed to focus its resources on restoring calm.

Citizens had been rioting throughout Baltimore following the death of resident Freddie Gray, whose death was believed to result from police brutality and led to charges against six police officers.

Given Baltimore’s social climate at the time, the Spectator Editorial Board discussed whether the baseball game should have been played in the first place.

One member said they understood why the game was played, but didn’t understand why the game couldn’t have been moved to a different location.

The member referenced the 2010 Minnesota Vikings’ metrodome roof collapse and how the Vikings’ games were played in Detroit’s dome following the incident.

“If there weren’t going to be people there anyway, there’s no reason it couldn’t have been played elsewhere.” the member said.

Another speaker mentioned baseball’s impression on the United States. They said it’s supposed to be a uniting force to bring people together around something fun. Instead, the optics were eerie and MLB missed a great opportunity to unite a city, they said.

“Baseball is bigger than a scorecard,” the speaker said. “No one made money off of this game and it could’ve been something that really gave people a chance to enjoy something instead of what was happening on the streets outside.”

Many members agreed, and one related the sentiment to past examples of sports cities rebounding after tragedies.

“Look at the New Orleans Saints game after Hurricane Katrina,” the member said. “ … look at the Boston Red Sox game after the (Boston marathon) bombing. These events brought everyone together. They lost the chance to make a statement like that.”

A different speaker said they thought the way the Orioles went about it was insensitive and a strategy to talk about Baltimore in a happier way.

One member brought up a previous speaker’s point regarding money and reiterated not only did the stadium miss on its revenue, but the community missed out on the brotherhood.

The Spectator Editorial Board voted 7-0 agreeing the game shouldn’t have been played.