Sponsor drops baseball team over video calling AOC 'enemy of freedom'

[left-of-center2012]

Source: Roll Call

Raisin company Sun-Maid cut ties with a minor league baseball team after it played a video at its Memorial Day game drawing comparisons between Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and controversial figures including despots Fidel Castro and Kim Jong Un. The company has been a part of the San Joaquin Valley for many years, where the Fresno Grizzlies (a Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals) play, but on Wednesday Sun-Maid issued a statement saying it was “disappointed” and terminating sponsorship of the team.

The video featured an image of the freshman Democrat — a frequent target of conservatives because of her advocacy for programs such as a Green New Deal to combat climate change — superimposed over audio of a speech given by President Ronald Reagan warning against the “enemies of freedom.”

For most of the three-and-a-half minute video, Reagan’s 1981 inaugural speech played over soaring music and images representing the U.S. military ...
But around the three-minute mark, as Reagan begins to admonish the “the enemies of freedom” and “those who are potential adversaries,” the video shows a series of images, including Cuban leader Castro, Korean leader Kim and then Ocasio-Cortez.

The team apologized after the video was played, saying it had not been properly vetted before it was shown in the stadium. “The video was not produced, created or commissioned by the Fresno Grizzlies. It was carelessly taken from YouTube,” the team said in a second apology Wednesday.

The Grizzlies said the team has publicly apologized to Ocasio-Cortez.



Read more: https://www.rollcall.com/news/sponsor-drops-baseball-team-over-video-calling-aoc-enemy-of-freedom

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May 30, 2019 10:58 AM

[kysrsoze]

1. Fresno... home of Free Republic. Figures.

[TheRealNorth]

2. Freedom..... Except when baseball players want to kneel for National Anthem

Then there are no such freedoms.

Added- now that I know the context of the message, I very much doubt that it was an unintentional mistake.

[LisaM]

3. I'm sure the AOC part was an unintentional mistake...HOWEVER

The fact that they were using a Reagan voiceover, presumably by intention, speaks volumes.

And pulling a video for an official team event off YouTube is inexcusably lazy.

[Dave Starsky]

6. LOL. Give me a break. It was not unintentional.

Describe for me a scenario where a video clip of a duly elected member of the United States House of Representatives would be edited in amongst other footage of "enemies of America". Tell me how that would happen inadvertently. Because it's impossible.

[LisaM]

8. In a video with Reagan doing the narration, anything is possible.

He was a horrible, horrible person. Just choosing a video with him as narrator was ridiculous.

I'd still be willing to be that the team didn't know a sitting member of Congress was being shown in the video, but then again, the fact that they just pulled something off YouTube was inexcusable.

[Dave Starsky]

9. It would be more likely that Soupy Sales would be in that edit.

He was on TV far longer, and has more YouTube videos out there, than AOC does.

This was done on purpose.

[dem4decades]

4. Someone should be fired. Is this Nunes's district? Not a mistake IMO.

[left-of-center2012]

10. Yes

"California's 22nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California.
The district is currently represented by Republican Devin Nunes."

[trev]

5. I don't believe the video was a mistake.

Good for Sun-Maid.

We need more corporations to drop their support for the GOP. Money talks--and only money talks--to Republicans.

As we used to say in the 1970s, "Hit 'em in the pocketbook."

[dixiegrrrrl]

12. I just tweeted thank you to their twitter page.

https://twitter.com/Sun_Maid

I'm hoping a lot of people remember to thank companies for which ever action we are applauding.

[trev]

14. I'm not on Twitter, but

I've been thinking lately I ought to join. I like the idea of thanking these companies, though.

[dixiegrrrrl]

15. Twitter is a good tool when used well.

and easy to navigate.

[trev]

16. I'll try not to rant incoherently at three in the morning. :)

[tonedevil]

17. You will be called upon...

to do so every once in a while. I didn't notice at first, but buried in the user agreement it says you need to tweet incoherently in the predawn hours no less than 3 times in a quarter.

[trev]

20. LOL

I'll start preparing now.

[Skittles]

13. the idea they did not vet that video is ridiculous

they knew

[Politicub]

7. Stay classy, Fresno.

The video was deliberately chosen by someone. They need to fire the person who selected it, and do so in a public way.

On edit:

Here are their major sponsors. I’m going to let them know what I think. From https://www.milb.com/fresno/ballpark/corporate-sponsors

Dos Equis
Toyota

And these look like local companies:

Chukchansi Casino
Community Medical Centers
Farm Credit
Gar Tootelian?
KY Farming (could be Sky Farming or it’s just well-lubricated)

[VWolf]

19. LOL I see what you did there n/t

[paleotn]

11. The ironic thing is...

unaddressed climate change will shortly transform the CA central valley into the CA central desert. By next century, that desert will flood due to sea level rise and become an inland sea. Bye, bye Fresno.

[truthisfreedom]

18. I'll be eating more raisins this summer.

Whilst listening to baseball.