Why the Red Sox put up a 254-foot ‘Black Lives Matter’ billboard outside Fenway Park

The Black Lives Matter billboard outside Fenway Park. Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox

July 23, 2020

1 minute to read

Drivers passing Fenway Park on the Mass Pike can’t miss the new Black Lives Matter billboard facing the highway.

The Lansdowne Street billboard went up on Wednesday. Red Sox spokesperson Zineb Curran told The Boston Globe the sign is operated by the Red Sox Foundation.

“Recognizing that we have work to do ourselves, we wanted to show that we stand with those who are working to achieve racial equity,” Curran said in a statement. She added that the Red Sox “plan to amplify the Black Lives Matter movement throughout the baseball season as a way to amplify the voices of those who share our values, but may not share our platform.”

MLB will allow players to wear Black Lives Matter and other social justice patches on jerseys this season. The Red Sox are planning a social justice component as part of the ceremony before the 2020 season-opener Friday night against the Baltimore Orioles.

The team’s problematic history with racism mirrors the city’s. On June 10, the Red Sox released a statement acknowledging and apologizing for incidents of racism directed at opposing players like Torii Hunter. In 2017, Orioles star Adam Jones spoke up about verbal abuse from Boston fans which included racial slurs.

“You need to pull together and talk about these issues,” Red Sox president Sam Kennedy said in June. “That’s how we’re going to do better.”