All Five Major Boston Sports Teams Will Play Anti-Racism PSA in Stadiums
Boston’s five major sports teams will debut an anti-racism PSA later this month at Fenway Park, according to the Boston Globe.
The video, which will be shown on a regular basis, will feature a diverse group of athletes encouraging fans to denounce racism. It will debut on Sept. 28 at a Red Sox game against the Astros before being shown during Patriots, Celtics, Bruins and Revolution games.
The teams were prompted to confront racism by their fans after two incidents at Fenway in May. First, Orioles outfielder Adam Jones said he was taunted with racial slurs, then, the following night, a fan was ejected and subsequently banned from the park for life after directing a racial slur at a Kenyan woman who sang the national anthem.
“When the incidents in May occurred, one of the first things we recognized was sports teams are high-profile, and we have the opportunity to help lead a high-level discussion around this,” Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy told the Globe. “We wanted to take the lead in taking a stand against racism.”
Last week, a group of protesters atop the Green Monster unfurled a banner reading “Racism is as American as baseball.”
In addition to the PSA, the Red Sox are also working to change the name of Yawkey Way outside Fenway, named after the team’s virulent racist former owner.
