Marge Schott's Name to Be Removed from University of Cincinnati Baseball Stadium

The University of Cincinnati has announced Marge Schott's name has been removed from its baseball stadium. 

After the school's board of trustees unanimously voted for the change, Cincinnati President Neville G. Pinto issued a statement about the decision:

"Marge Schott’s record of racism and bigotry stands at stark odds with our University’s core commitment to dignity, equity and inclusion. My recommendation to the board to remove her name is grounded in the firm belief that speaking out against exclusion is as essential as speaking up for inclusion. I hope this action serves as an enduring reminder that we cannot remain silent or indifferent when it comes to prejudice, hate or inequity. More than ever, our world needs us to convert our values into real and lasting action.”

Schott was a controversial figure during her tenure as majority owner of the Cincinnati Reds from 1984-99. Major League Baseball banned her from Riverfront Stadium and running day-to-day operations with the organization in 1996 after she publicly praised Adolf Hitler. 

Schott also admitted to keeping a swastika armband in her house that she said was given to her by someone who worked for her. 

In a deposition taken stemming from a 1991 lawsuit filed against her by former Reds employee Tim Sabo, Schott acknowledged using racial slurs and making antisemitic comments as "joke terms." MLB banned her for the 1993 season and fined her $25,000 as a result of those comments. 

The University of Cincinnati named its baseball stadium "Marge Schott Stadium" in 2006 after her charitable foundation made a $2 million donation to the school's athletic department. 

Schott was born in Cincinnati and lived in the city all her life until she died at the age of 75 in 2004.