Talk about bad timing. Right to Life night at the K is next Friday
Fri., Jun. 12 2009 @ 9:10AM
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"Come cheer on the Royals as they play the St. Louis Cardinals and support the Missouri Right to Life," says a line on the Royals' Web site promoting the June 19 night game.
The timing seems awkward given that not even three weeks will have passed since abortion provider George Tiller was slain in a Wichita church. But the choice of date coincides with what's sure to be one of the most well-attended games of the year.
Scott Hartley doesn't like his sports mixed with politics -- especially right-wing politics. He's a district aid for Missouri Sen. Jolie Justus (they split a season-ticket package), but speaking as a baseball fan, he really doesn't like the idea of controversial groups taking over the K for a night. He says hosting hot-button groups is in "bad taste" and "stupid business wise."
"I think they're basically setting themselves up for what could be some pretty heavy ridicule," Hartley says.
He concedes that the date was probably scheduled long before the season started, but he sees fault in the Royals' organization failing to separate itself from the fundraising groups it hosts.
"It's not abundantly clear that the Royals aren't organizing and sponsoring and putting this whole thing together," Hartley says. "And I think that's their fundamental mistake, and they're just setting themselves up for trouble ... if the perception is that the Royals are taking sides on this issue. Especially since they're more or less a publicly sponsored entity with how much money Jackson County is pouring into Kauffman. I think that's what kind of irked me. They're just not really thinking that people are paying attention and this is going to be a problem. They should really take the time to sit down and say OK, we don't condone the principles of this organization. we're just providing them with a venue to do a fundraiser."
Whether the Royals are making a political statement or are simply oblivious to the fact that hosting a Right to Life Night at the K could offend plenty of fans, Hartley says the team is sending a message. "They're just putting out this vibe that they're not terribly friendly to certain political points of view," Hartley says. "Or certain faiths, for that matter. ... It's not an inclusive place anymore, it doesn't feel like."
A Royals spokeswoman referred The Pitch to the Royals' ticket sales department. Several messages were not returned.
An e-mail obtained by The Pitch says the Royals have no restrictions for groups wanting to participate in such fundraisers. The only requirement is documentation proving the organization is a 501(c)3, a signed agreement to sell 100 tickets (a portion of which goes to the organization), and specification of where the group wants to sit and the price of the tickets.
Tickets for Right to Life night at the K cost $16 plus service fees. The password to buy them online is "life."
The Royals have a history on this subject: In a 2007 Catholic Key story, team broadcaster Ryan Lefebvre talked about driving his girlfriend to an abortion clinic and lamented the child he never fathered. The story highlighted a fundraiser put together by then-Royal Mike Sweeney to raise $30,000 for an ultrasound machine at a "crisis pregnancy" center.
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