Well I finally got a response from the Atlanta Braves regarding my protest of the Faith Nights promotion. It’s pretty lame, as you can see:
From: Braves.Web@turner.com
Subject: RE: atl – Other – None – Faith Nights
Date: September 13, 2006 6:45:27 AM PDT (CA)
To: wayne.ross@mac.com
Dear Wayne:
Thank you for your recent letter regarding the Atlanta Braves Faith
Days. We appreciate feedback from our fans and while we understand your
opposition, we would like to explain our position.
These particular post game events are targeted towards the Christian
community. However, fans who aren’t interested in the post game event
will not see anything different during the game since the events take
place following the game, after fans have left the ballpark and
re-entered if they have a separate ticket.
Our intention is to not offend our fans who are not interested in
attending, while satisfying our fans who find this type of event and
added bonus to coming to Turner Field for a Braves game.
We also have been pursuing doing similar nights for other faiths and
groups and are confident you will see them in the future.
Again thank you for your comments.
Regards,
Atlanta Braves
—–Original Message—–
From: wayne.ross@mac.com [mailto:wayne.ross@mac.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 02, 2006 2:33 AM
To: fanfeedback@braves.mlb.com
Subject: atl – Other – None – Faith Nights
E-mail From: Wayne Ross
I have been a long time Braves fan (since before the team moved to
Atlanta) and as an Atlanta resident in the 1980s I attended many games.
I wanted to let you know that I am deeply offended by the Braves “Faith
Night” promotion. This promotion is blatantly exclusive of religious
faiths outside of evangelical Christianity and it links the Atlanta
Braves with and organization that is anti-gay and anti-Semitic.
Ostensibly a collaboration with Third Coast Sports this promotion is
apparently (according to the Third Coast Sports website) actually a
partnership between the Atlanta Braves and James Dobson’s Focus on the
Family and evangelical Christian group that is anti-choice, anti-gay,
against sex education, and the leading proponent of the bogus notion of
“reparative therapy” for homosexuality.
I find the very notion of “Faith Nights” at the ball park disheartening
as baseball has (and should remain) a game that brings diverse people
together, however, this crass marketing campaign to bring bus loads of
church goers to the park actually works to build barriers between
people. Personally, as die-hard Braves fan all my life, your
collaboration with religious hate-mongers deeply saddens me.
E. Wayne Ross, Ph.D.
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