Maine Senate Candidate Highlights Red Sox Decline Under Private Equity Ownership

Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner released a 15-second ad on the cable station that airs Boston Red Sox games accusing team owners of harming the franchise through private equity involvement. The ad aired during a Memorial Day weekend game and was removed midway through the broadcast.

Platner said the ad exposed how private equity is making everything in people’s lives worse. “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,” Platner said in a statement on Saturday.

” New England Sports Network, which is owned predominantly by Fenway Sports Group, said the ad was removed because it included unauthorized use of third-party intellectual property and did not comply with the network’s advertising standards. NESN did not answer questions about the specific violation.

The ad referenced a March 2021 report that RedBird Capital Partners would hold an 11 percent stake in Fenway Sports Group. It also referenced the 2020 trade of a homegrown player to the Los Angeles Dodgers and accused private equity of buying up homes, sports, and lives.

The Red Sox finished the referenced game with a loss and currently stand at 22-30, last in their division. Fans have chanted “sell the team” during home games this season.

Collins’ campaign said Platner’s criticism of the Red Sox was an attempt to change the subject from questions about his judgment and character. Platner has faced questions during the campaign about a tattoo he later covered that was associated with Nazi imagery.

He has said he was unaware of the tattoo’s meaning when he got it after a night of drinking and has apologized for past social media posts.