Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Fresno Grizzlies Lose Sponsor Due to Ocasio-Cortez Video
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
May 30, 2019

Share

A company has cut ties with the Fresno Grizzlies after the baseball team played a Memorial Day video that included an image of Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with images of Kim Jong-un and Fidel Castro.

The Fresno Bee reported the raisin company Sun-Maid terminated its sponsorship of the Fresno Grizzlies on Wednesday.

The company acknowledged the Grizzlies apologized but said terminating the sponsorship was the right thing to do.

The Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals has said it failed to properly vet the video found on YouTube.

The video has patriotic images and excerpts from President Ronald Reagan’s first inaugural speech.

When Reagan mentions “enemies of freedom,” the video shows the North Korean leader, Ocasio-Cortez of New York and the late Cuban leader.

The team posted on Twitter, hours after the video was displayed, that it was “a pre-produced video from outside our front office” and that it contained “some misleading and offensive editing.”

Images of Anti-Fascist, Alt-Left Protesters

“We’re embarrassed we allowed this video to play without seeing it in its entirety first,” the team posted.

About an hour later, the Grizzlies sent another tweet that said “we unconditionally apologize to Rep. Ocasio-Cortez in addition to our fans, community and those we hurt.  It was a mistake and we will ensure that nothing like it ever happens again.”

“We didn’t take the full steps to make sure that video was the right content for the ballclub.” — Grizzlies president Derek Franks

The video, shown between games of a double-header against the El Paso Chihuahuas, was lifted by a Grizzlies staff member from a third-party YouTube account, Grizzlies president Derek Franks said at a news conference Tuesday. “This was taken off the internet. Borrowed, if you will,” Franks said.

Images of anti-fascist, alt-left protesters also appear in the video.

Franks said the staff member who found and used the video was “remorseful.” He said the matter was being handled internally.

“We didn’t take the full steps to make sure that video was the right content for the ballclub,” Franks said.

DON'T MISS

Jack Black, a Small Dog With a Big Heart, Is Looking for His Forever Home

DON'T MISS

Kamala Harris: A Baptist With a Jewish Husband and a Faith That Traces Back to MLK and Gandhi

DON'T MISS

What Italian Grandmothers Can Teach You About Healthy Eating

DON'T MISS

CA Has Seen Many New Towns, but This Big Project Is Stalled

DON'T MISS

Kern County Farmland Values Continue Downward Slide

DON'T MISS

Crescent View West High Celebrates New Clovis Home

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Sentenced to 29 Years for Sexually Assaulting Children and Dog

DON'T MISS

Bulldogs’ Two-Position Standout Tommy Hopfe Signs With Rockies

DON'T MISS

Artists, Vendors Plan to Defy City’s ArtHop Crackdown

DON'T MISS

Former Bulldog QB Jake Haener: I Have a ‘Rare Form of Skin Cancer’

UP NEXT

Kern County Farmland Values Continue Downward Slide

UP NEXT

Fresno Man Sentenced to 29 Years for Sexually Assaulting Children and Dog

UP NEXT

Artists, Vendors Plan to Defy City’s ArtHop Crackdown

UP NEXT

The Many Names of GOP Vice Presidential Nominee JD Vance

UP NEXT

Warner Bros. Discovery Sues NBA for Not Accepting Its Matching Offer

UP NEXT

Will Bonta Election Lawsuit Reverse the Will of Fresno County Voters?

UP NEXT

PINC Donation Gives Big Boost to Fresno’s Neediest Kids

UP NEXT

Looking for a New Best Friend? Fresno Animal Center Waives Fees on 100 Puppies

UP NEXT

Netanyahu Will Meet Trump at Mar-a-Lago, Mending a Yearslong Rift

UP NEXT

Watch: Breaking Down Netanyahu’s Speech in Congress

CA Has Seen Many New Towns, but This Big Project Is Stalled

2 hours ago

Kern County Farmland Values Continue Downward Slide

2 hours ago

Crescent View West High Celebrates New Clovis Home

13 hours ago

Fresno Man Sentenced to 29 Years for Sexually Assaulting Children and Dog

14 hours ago

Bulldogs’ Two-Position Standout Tommy Hopfe Signs With Rockies

14 hours ago

Artists, Vendors Plan to Defy City’s ArtHop Crackdown

14 hours ago

Former Bulldog QB Jake Haener: I Have a ‘Rare Form of Skin Cancer’

15 hours ago

The Many Names of GOP Vice Presidential Nominee JD Vance

15 hours ago

‘Fed Up’ Dyer, Councilmembers Unveil Plan to Crack Down on Street Campers

15 hours ago

House Republicans Slam Trump’s ‘Worst Choice’ for VP Pick JD Vance

16 hours ago

Jack Black, a Small Dog With a Big Heart, Is Looking for His Forever Home

In October last year, a heartwarming tale of resilience and recovery began in the unlikeliest of places: a crate abandoned in an alley. This...

1 hour ago

1 hour ago

Jack Black, a Small Dog With a Big Heart, Is Looking for His Forever Home

1 hour ago

Kamala Harris: A Baptist With a Jewish Husband and a Faith That Traces Back to MLK and Gandhi

1 hour ago

What Italian Grandmothers Can Teach You About Healthy Eating

2 hours ago

CA Has Seen Many New Towns, but This Big Project Is Stalled

2 hours ago

Kern County Farmland Values Continue Downward Slide

13 hours ago

Crescent View West High Celebrates New Clovis Home

14 hours ago

Fresno Man Sentenced to 29 Years for Sexually Assaulting Children and Dog

14 hours ago

Bulldogs’ Two-Position Standout Tommy Hopfe Signs With Rockies

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend