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Red Sox pull plug on David Ortiz bobblehead night, deeming figures 'racially insensitive'
Associated Press ^ | 8/10/2016 | Staff

Posted on 08/10/2016 11:06:27 AM PDT by simpson96

BOSTON - The Boston Red Sox canceled a David Ortiz bobblehead promotion Tuesday night when the figurine turned out to be "racially insensitive," said team president Sam Kennedy.

The bobblehead depicts Ortiz addressing fans at Fenway Park following the Boston Marathon bombings, but Kennedy said it didn't much resemble the retiring slugger and was not fit for distribution.

Kennedy saw the final version of the bobblehead for the first time Tuesday afternoon after they were delivered.

"My two immediate reactions were first, it was a really inaccurate portrayal of what he looks like," Kennedy told The Associated Press. "My personal reaction was it was offensive and, to me, kind of appeared racially insensitive. I just had a bad reaction."

He then held a meeting with several team officials.

"My gut feeling was if I have that negative reaction then our fans may as well," he said. "We just made the decision to scrap the whole thing. We apologize to everyone tonight and will make it up to fans."

The giveaway was supposed to be for the first 15,000 fans at Tuesday's game against the Yankees. To make up for the inconvenience, any fan holding a ticket to the game will be able to get a new Ortiz bobblehead once they are reproduced.

The rejected bobblehead was made by BDA, Inc., and the company will also produce the replacements.

"We value our decades-long relationship with the Red Sox organization and its decision to postpone Tuesday's David Ortiz bobblehead giveaway," BDA said in a statement. "We're currently working closely with the Red Sox to ensure the team and its fans receive a quality product."

The Red Sox sent out a statement and apology via their website and social media several hours before a 5-3 win over the Yankees.

(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...


TOPICS: Sports
KEYWORDS: athletes; baseball; bigpapi; bostonredsox; davidortiz; madeinchina; mlb; newyorkyankees; ortiz; redsox; sports; yankees
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To: Cboldt
Ortiz in the black power salute is too much. He’s not about that.

Read the article - the pose is taken from Ortiz addressing a crowd after the Boston bombing and had nothing to do with BP or BLM.

smh...

21 posted on 08/10/2016 11:19:31 AM PDT by T-Bird45 (It feels like the seventies, and it shouldn't.)
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To: TBP

“Since when do Boston liberals object to racism?”


What does THAT mean? (No argument,just curious,)

.


22 posted on 08/10/2016 11:23:08 AM PDT by Mears
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To: simpson96

when will this ever end?


23 posted on 08/10/2016 11:23:10 AM PDT by Karliner ( Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28- 8:38"...this is the end of the beginning."WC)
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To: simpson96

-PJ

24 posted on 08/10/2016 11:23:11 AM PDT by Political Junkie Too (If you are the Posterity of We the People, then you are a Natural Born Citizen.From Foxnews, May 31,)
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To: simpson96

I heard Boston is one of the most racist cities in America. I don’t know as I have never been.


25 posted on 08/10/2016 11:23:21 AM PDT by Hyman Roth
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To: T-Bird45

I know that, but many people will take it as a black power pose. Check the other bobblehead poes (I don’t know what they look like to be honest), and the poses. I think most if not all are in some sort of “playing the game” pose.


26 posted on 08/10/2016 11:25:01 AM PDT by Cboldt
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To: Hyman Roth

“I heard Boston is one of the most racist cities in America. “

You must have heard that from a Yankees fan.:-)

Seriously,where did you hear it?

.


27 posted on 08/10/2016 11:25:16 AM PDT by Mears
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To: simpson96

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2015/08/21/the-nationals-werth-walk-off-bobblehead-is-borderline-obscene-and-completely-terrifying/

They cancelled this one too, pretty funny in a sick way I guess.

Freegards


28 posted on 08/10/2016 11:28:16 AM PDT by Ransomed
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To: simpson96

Three questions:

(1) is “team president Sam Kennedy” black?
(2) who appointed him to be personally offended on behalf of his team members?
(3) is Kennedy likewise offended when white players are caricatured as rednecks or crackers?


29 posted on 08/10/2016 11:28:18 AM PDT by Cletus.D.Yokel (Catastrophic, Anthropogenic Climate Alterations: The acronym explains the science.)
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To: Hyman Roth

Yeah, it is.


30 posted on 08/10/2016 11:29:32 AM PDT by Andy'smom (How many more acts of love can we take?)
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To: Mears

It means exactly what it says. Since when do liberals object to racism?


31 posted on 08/10/2016 11:32:50 AM PDT by TBP (0bama lies, Granny dies.)
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To: TBP

“Since when do liberals object to racism?”


They don’t,but your remark specified BOSTON liberals and I was curious about the distinction.

.


32 posted on 08/10/2016 11:37:08 AM PDT by Mears
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To: Mears

Because the bobleheads are being distributed in Boston by the Boston Red Sox, and Boston is one of the most solidly liberal cities in America. And elitist too.


33 posted on 08/10/2016 11:39:14 AM PDT by TBP (0bama lies, Granny dies.)
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To: Cboldt

OK Fair enough. I hadn’t seen that angle.


34 posted on 08/10/2016 11:51:01 AM PDT by NEMDF
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To: simpson96

What were they thinking?


35 posted on 08/10/2016 11:52:29 AM PDT by Psalm 73 ("Gentlemen, you can't fight in here - this is the War Room".)
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To: simpson96
Wow, somebody is going to be eating a lot of money if they are going to trash 15,000 of these things.

It's certainly ridiculous to say it's racist but I do agree that the bobblehead in the picture looks nothing at all like Ortiz. Whoever manufactured these did a crappy job.

36 posted on 08/10/2016 11:55:01 AM PDT by SamAdams76 (It is a wise man who rules by the polls but it is a fool who is ruled by them)
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To: SamAdams76

I would bet all 15,000 will not be destroyed. Someone involved in the process will keep some, with the idea of making $$$ sometime in future, due to the controversy.


37 posted on 08/10/2016 11:59:46 AM PDT by simpson96
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To: Cboldt

Agreed that the typical pose is a game-action pose. The BoSox executive is being very thin-skinned/PC/overly cautious. If it were me, I’d bring in Big Papi and get his opinion to let him approve/disapprove the distribution. For that matter, it should have been done early in the process, even before letting the manufacturer produce the items.


38 posted on 08/10/2016 12:03:46 PM PDT by T-Bird45 (It feels like the seventies, and it shouldn't.)
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To: simpson96
Probably true. Also, I'm surprised that the manufacturer did have the ballclub proof the work first. Usually on an order this size, you think you would want the client to see a proof copy of the work first before having them sign off on such a large production run.

There was definitely some incompetence involved here.

39 posted on 08/10/2016 12:05:31 PM PDT by SamAdams76 (It is a wise man who rules by the polls but it is a fool who is ruled by them)
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To: Mears

From a couple of people that lived in Boston.


40 posted on 08/10/2016 12:10:49 PM PDT by Hyman Roth
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