Maine Senate Hopeful’s Red Sox Ad Pulled Mid‑Game—Campaigners Cry Sabotage
Graham Platner’s Red Sox game ad slam against private equity got yanked by NESN over IP claims. Now he’s pitching it as a win, while critics say it’s a smokescreen.
If you tuned into the Red Sox game hoping for some light entertainment, you might have caught a senate candidate trying to steal third base with politics. Graham Platner, Maine’s Democratic hopeful, decided to run a 15-second ad lambasting Fenway Sports Group’s private equity ownership. But before the inning was out, NESN pulled the ad, citing unauthorized use of—you guessed it—third-party intellectual property. The ad aimed to reverse “the private equity curse” and included a wistful “I miss Mookie Betts,” according to AP News.
Now, Platner is claiming he’s been muzzled by the powers that be. He spun the ad’s untimely yank into a populist moment, suggesting that if private equity isn’t scared of him, they should be. According to WBUR, he even tossed in a cheeky jab about the Sox blowing a 4-0 lead, as if to say his removal came at a cost to the game. You got it, the Sox lost, adding a layer of irony thicker than Fenway’s famous franks.
NESN, owned by the very group Platner targeted, released a statement about the ad’s removal. It “included unauthorized use of third-party intellectual property and did not comply with NESN’s advertising standards,” the company explained, as quoted in the Portland Press Herald. In other words, a paperwork perfume so fragrant it could rival any bullpen bouquet.
Of course, Susan Collins, his GOP rival, isn’t buying the heroics. Her camp called it a diversion from serious questions about Platner’s character, mentioning past social media posts and tattoos for good measure. Even Democrat Jake Auchincloss chimed in, hinting that some ink might be better left off the campaign trail. It’s a political pile-on, but a good one, the kind that makes you wonder whether these controversies make more racket than a Fenway foul ball.
What does this mean for Platner and his chances? The cable-news foam is whirring, that’s for sure, but in a world driven by outrage economics, isn’t that just par for the course? While Platner’s latest stunt might earn a slot in tonight’s news cycle, where does that leave constituents who want more than a sideshow? Maybe it’s just a reminder that in politics, like in baseball, errors can come from anyone—and they usually make the highlight reel.
In the end, perhaps the real question isn’t about who used whose IP, but about whether voters are talking more about a gritty campaign or giggling over tattoos. If you ask me, that sounds like a paperwork victory only a political strategist could love.
Sources
Keep Me Marginally Informed