A major Midwestern university will rename its baseball stadium after decades-old comments made by the woman for whom the ballpark is named resurfaced.
The University of Cincinnati announced Wednesday it would remove Marge Schott’s name from its baseball stadium and from the archive section of the school’s library.
“Marge Schott’s record of racism and bigotry stands at stark odds with our University’s core commitment to dignity, equity and inclusion,” University of Cincinnati President Neville Pinto wrote in a statement.
Schott, who became the first woman to own a professional baseball team in 1984, was fined by Major League Baseball in 1992 for saying, “Hitler was good in the beginning, but he went too far.” In several instances, Schott repeated the claim, suggesting that the early years of the Nazi regime were to be admired.
The University of Cincinnati opened the ballpark in 2004 and added Schott’s name in 2006. The Schott Foundation provided a statement agreeing with the university’s assessment.
“While we cannot make excuses for the rhetoric made by Mrs. Schott decades ago, we can ask you to learn from Mrs. Schott’s mistakes as well as her great love for Cincinnati,” the statement reads. “We appreciate what these great organizations bring to Cincinnati and we fully support the decisions made by the organizations who have received grants from the Foundation.”
Pinto said the removal of Schott’s name represented an opportunity to reject and condemn Schott’s statements about Hitler.
“I hope this action serves as an enduring reminder that we cannot remain silent or indifferent when it comes to prejudice, hate or inequity,” Pinto said. “More than ever, our world needs us to convert our values into real and lasting action.”
