Pirates President Apologizes to Fans
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While controversies abound for the Pittsburgh Pirates' leadership, president Travis Williams has extended an olive branch to the fanbase in an effort to improve an already strained relationship. Will it be enough?
"At the end of the day, our fans are first and foremost in our minds. That's my job to make sure we build that relationship and that trust with them. Obviously, in the last couple of weeks we've had a couple of issues with that, but we've obviously owned up to those mistakes. They were mistakes on our part and we're sorry for those, but we're looking forward and hoping to build that trust and that relationship back up with our fanbase," Williams said, according to a tweet from Noah Hiles.
The Pirates have been on a losing streak for years, and fans are fed up. To make matters worse, in recent weeks the club has replaced a tribute to beloved Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente with a Surfside ad and approved the destruction of the club's beloved Bucco Bricks, drawing additional ire.
Manager Derek Shelton has taken some heat in all this, as fans booed him at the opening home game against the New York Yankees two weeks ago.
An organization called "Our Team, Not His" has lead the unrelenting charge against Bob Nutting, the team's owner, organizing protests and spending a reported $4,000 on a plane carrying the banner, "Sell the Team, Bob". They have also not been shy about voicing their grievances to Nutting directly, sporting shirts emblazoned with their slogan and chanting it at him on the rotunda in left field.
Bob, it would seem, has not folded yet. We'll see if the shame campaign is motivation enough.
-4431d2aa5cde5e25ad8e226a03890ec7.png "Erin Shapland")
Erin covers the Pittsburgh Pirates for On SI, reporting on all aspects of a franchise searching for lasting success. A fan of all storylines, who's looking to bring the latest news and updates to one of professional sports' greatest fanbases.