Pirates restoring Roberto Clemente tribute after backlash from legends family, fans over alcohol ad
The Pirates are reversing course as part of their apology to legend Roberto Clemente’s family.After angering their fans and the late Clemente’s son by replacing a logo that had the Hall of Famer’s name and number on the right-field wall with an alcohol advertisement, the Pirates plan to restore the tribute.“We did not intend to disrespect the legacy of Roberto Clemente by adding the advertisement to the pad in right field,” team president Travis Williams said in a statement released Sunday.“When we added the advertisement to the pad, it was an oversight not to keep the No.
21 logo.This is ultimately on me, not anyone else in the organization.
It was an honest mistake.We will be adding the No.
21 logo back to the pad.”It’s a different note than the Pirates struck in their initial statement, which said that the No.21 on the right-field wall was only meant to be temporary when it was added in 2022 and that there are other areas in and around PNC Park meant to honor Clemente’s legacy.
The right-field wall is named after Clemente, stands 21-feet high in honor of Clemente and has two other non-removed No.21s on it.Saturday’s first explanation didn’t sit well with Clemente’s shocked family nor with Pirates fans.“We have used this area for advertisements for many years,” Williams’ statement said.
“When we didn’t have a sponsor coming out of COVID, we added an additional element in 2022 to honor the legacy of Roberto.It was a replica of the Three Rivers (Stadium) signage honoring him.
This is in addition to the many elements throughout the ballpark that honor his legacy.”Roberto Clemente Jr.said in a statement that the issue was indicative of a broader issue: “A lack of meaningful collaboration between the organization and on matters that are deeply personal and historically significant to us and the fans.”It’s been a long first series at home for the Pirates against the Yankees, despite Pittsburgh’s 5-4 win in 11 innings on...