The University of Cincinnati will remove Marge Schott’s name from its baseball stadium, citing the late Cincinnati Reds owner’s “record of racism and bigotry.”
The university’s board of trustees on Monday unanimously voted to remove Schott’s name from the stadium and from the university’s archives library. The decision is effective immediately.
Former Bearcats outfielder Jordan Ramey started a petition earlier this month to remove Schott’s name. On Tuesday, the petition was approaching 10,000 signatures. University president Neville Pinto also had recommended the removal to the board.
The university’s baseball facility was named Marge Schott Stadium in 2006 after the school received a $2 million donation from the Marge and Charles J. Schott Foundation.
Marge Schott died in 2004. In 1996, Major League Baseball banned Schott from Riverfront Stadium and day-to-day operations of the Reds following her comments about Adolf Hitler. The decision led to Schott selling her controlling interest in the Reds in 1999.