The Red Sox this week placed a "Black Lives Matter" banner on the billboard they own overlooking the Mass Pike beside Fenway Park, and club President & CEO Sam Kennedy said that he "understands some fans might consider it a political statement," according to Christopher Smith of the Springfield REPUBLICAN. Kennedy on Thursday said, "The amplification and reinforcement of the Black Lives Matter message or movement, we don’t see it as a political statement. We see it as a human rights statement." Kennedy added that the Red Sox are in a "position where they have a platform" and they are "using it to amplify the message." Smith noted there is "no timetable for how long the banner will be there." Kennedy also said that Red Sox Owner John Henry and Chair Tom Werner have "felt this is an important issue since they bought the team" in '02. Kennedy: "We obviously have a long way to go as an organization, as a front office, as a member of the sports industry. I think all businesses do. All institutions do. But we’re committed to doing the work" (MASSLIVE.com, 7/23).
CROWD DJ: In Boston, Michael Silverman reports artificial crowd-noise choices, "made on an iPad with some 75-plus sound samples, will be piped in" over Fenway Park's public address system, to be "heard by the few people on the premises and picked up by the microphones scattered across the ballpark for radio and TV feeds." The Red Sox "want to react correctly at the crack of the bat, the third-strike call of an umpire, or an outfielder tracking down a ball." Artificial noise "will not be the only virtual addition to this strangest of seasons." The Red Sox are "expected to have an actual person throw out the ceremonial first pitch Friday, but after that, it will likely be done in virtual fashion." The club also "will employ virtual advertising on broadcasts, with logos hovering on the pitcher’s mound, behind home plate, and in foul territory." The "swaths of empty seats will not be wasted, either." The Red Sox "opted not to stretch tarps emblazoned with sponsors’ names across seating sections, but home viewers will see virtual advertising appear in the stands" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/24).
