Last night, we learned about a poorly-thought-through promotion idea the Ogden Raptors posted on their website, called “Hourglass Appreciation Night.” The post featured an illustration of three women in string bikinis, just in case the intent of the promotion wasn’t clear, which was for heterosexual men to ogle conventionally attractive women.
The Raptors received quite a bit of backlash on social media and the post on the Raptors’ website was quickly removed.
On Tuesday, Raptors president Dave Baggott issued a statement:
Of course, to say that the Raptors’ promotion “is not reflective of the values of [...] the Pioneer Baseball League” is inaccurate. The Orem Owlz, the Angels’ minor league affiliate in the Pioneer League, cooked up a “Caucasian Heritage Night” two years ago. That, too, was canceled after receiving a torrent of backlash.
The real problem is that men still make up nearly 100 percent of all leadership positions in front offices across baseball. Judging by name, the only woman listed on the Raptors’ website is Stacy Oliver, who’s the director of food service and personnel. Hiring people who aren’t straight, white, heterosexual, cisgendered men -- and paying them a living wage -- is an easy first step teams can take towards avoiding publicly embarrassing moments like the one the Raptors had to endure on Monday.
