Marge Schott Stadium still exists in Cincinnati. A petition wants to change that

Kevin Youkilis was thrilled one day years ago to learn the University of Cincinnati was considering naming the field at its baseball stadium after him.

The three-time Major League Baseball All-Star shared the news with his father, a fellow UC alumnus who quickly set his son straight about what would have been called “Kevin Youkilis Field at Marge Schott Stadium.”

“He said, ‘Kevin that is such a great honor that they would think of doing this,’” Youkilis wrote Sunday in a tweet. “‘The only problem is that our family name will never co-exist with that other individual. I will never let our family name be next to someone that was filled with such hatred toward our Jewish community.‘”

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“That day was one of my dad’s greatest teaching moments.”

Schott was a former Cincinnati Reds owner repeatedly suspended by Major League Baseball who was eventually forced to sell controlling interest in the team because of her racist statements. The University of Cincinnati named its baseball stadium after her in 2006, two years after her death, following a $2-million donation to the athletic department by her charitable foundation.

Youkilis and many others think it’s time Schott’s name was removed from the facility. More than 6,000 people have signed a petition started by former Bearcats outfielder Jordan Ramey urging the school to make the change.

“Marge Schott Stadium is represented by players of all races, religious backgrounds and ethnicities, and plays host to middle and high school baseball teams as well,” wrote Ramey, who last played for the Bearcats in 2018. “We have a responsibility to develop our kids for the future. Black kids should not be made to play and represent a name such as hers and white kids should not be celebrating her legacy subconsciously.”

Bearcats pitcher and senior captain Nathan Moore tweeted a link to the petition, writing that he had no idea the baseball facility “was honoring an individual who was openly racist.”

“As a young black man and student athlete, I simply cannot understand why our great University would not address the removal of this hurtful and offensive commemoration of racism,” Moore wrote. “It is an injustice to myself, other athletes of color and the University to not take a stand against continuing to allow our stadium and facilities to carry the name of Margaret Schott.”

Moore’s tweet caught the attention of Youkilis and Josh Harrison, another former Bearcat who became an MLB all-star.

“UC has given me so much in life and I’m forever grateful for the experiences and friendships I’ve made while attending,” Youkilis wrote. “Friendships that are of different races, religions and ethnicities that came about because of the inclusion of all individuals at UC. So I stand with Nathan Moore on this issue. We should change the name of the University of Cincinnati baseball stadium.”