Maine Senate candidate Platner stands by ad pulled during Red Sox broadcast
The Story
Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner released an ad during a Red Sox broadcast accusing team owners of ruining the franchise. The ad was pulled mid-game by New England Sports Network (NESN), which cited unauthorized use of third-party intellectual property, and Platner has since criticized the removal.
Key Facts
- Platner aired the ad on NESN, the cable station that broadcasts Red Sox games, accusing team owners of “ruining the storied franchise.”
- NESN removed the ad, saying it included “unauthorized use of third-party intellectual property and did not comply with NESN’s advertising standards.”
- Platner said in a statement: “We ran an ad during last night’s Red Sox game exposing how private equity is making everything in our lives worse, and it got pulled midway through the game by a station owned by Red Sox ownership.”
- The ad references a March 2021 Axios report that private equity firm RedBird Capital Partners held an 11% stake in Fenway Sports Group (FSG), which owns NESN and the Red Sox.
- FSG also purchased the Pittsburgh Penguins in late 2021 and agreed to sell them in 2025 for a reported $1.7 billion.
- The Red Sox are currently in last place in their division at 22-30, and fans have chanted “sell the team” during home games this season.
- Collins’ campaign stated that Platner’s criticism was an attempt to change the subject from “questions about his judgment and character.”
- Platner has faced questions about a tattoo associated with Nazi imagery that he later covered up, as well as old social media posts about women, police, veterans, and rural Americans; he has acknowledged and apologized for those posts.
Conflicting Reports
No conflicting reports identified in the source article.
Still Unclear
What specific third-party intellectual property in the ad led NESN to pull the advertisement. The network did not immediately answer questions on the specifics.
Misconceptions
No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.
Key Figures
- Graham Platner – presumptive Democratic Senate nominee in Maine
- Susan Collins – Republican incumbent senator from Maine
- John Henry – founder and principal owner of FSG
- Mookie Betts – former Red Sox player traded in 2020
- LeBron James – investor in FSG
Sources: abcnews.com
