Marge Schott
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Margaret Carolyn Schott (née Unnewehr; August 18, 1928 – March 2, 2004) was an American baseball executive. Serving as managing general partner, president and CEO of
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's
Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...
franchise from
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to
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, she was the second woman to own a North American major-league team without inheriting it, after
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founder Joan Whitney Payson. She was banned from managing the team by MLB in 1993 due to racist comments and again from
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through
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due to statements in support of German domestic policies of
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leader
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, amongst other controversies over her beliefs; shortly afterwards, she sold the majority of her share in the team.


Early life and career

Schott was born in
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
, one of five daughters of Edward Henry Unnewehr and Charlotte (Sauerland). Her father grew wealthy in the lumber business. She attended parochial schools and graduated from the Sacred Heart Academy. While a student at the
University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...
Marge Schott became a member of Theta Phi Alpha fraternity. She married Charles Schott, a member of a wealthy Cincinnati family, in 1952, and inherited his automobile dealerships and interests in other industries when he died of a heart attack in 1968. A widow at 39, Marge Schott never remarried and had no children of her own.


Cincinnati Reds

Schott had been a Reds fan for most of her life; from 1963 onward, she held an auction to raise money for the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, attended by several Reds players. In
1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...
, Schott bought a minority interest in the Reds as part of a group headed by insurance magnates
William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...
and James Williams. On December 21, 1984, she purchased a controlling interest for a reported $11M, making her managing general partner, and becoming the first woman to buy an MLB team. In
1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...
, she was named president and CEO of the club. Five years later, the Reds won the
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, when they swept the
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(now The Athletics). Schott quickly became one of baseball's most publicly visible owners. The Reds had long been a family-oriented franchise, and fans praised her efforts to keep ticket and concession prices low. For instance, she kept the price of the basic hot dog at one dollar (), and kept box seats around $12 ()the cheapest in baseball. Unlike most owners, she sat in a regular box seat at Riverfront Stadium, and often signed autographs. She often allowed groups of children on the field to run to deep center field and back before the games would start, due to her love for children stemming from her inability to have any of her own. She was also noted for always having Schottzie, her pet Saint Bernard, with her. Throughout her career, she gained reputation as one of the worst owners in baseball history, and perhaps sports history. She was criticized for not spending the money it would have taken to build the Reds into contenders. This "cheap" attitude was sometimes conveyed in her own statements. She would publicly comment on occasion about having to pay players while they were on the disabled list, notably
World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
hero José Rijo (who had an elbow injury), about whom she once complained of "paying three million dollars to sit on his butt." She also maintained one of the smallest and lowest paid front office staffs in the major leagues; it was said to turn the heat down and lights off to save electricity. In addition, it was revealed Schott was far from happy about the team winning the 1990 World Series. She was annoyed the team won the series in a " sweep" (the Reds swept the heavily-favored
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in four games). In her opinion the series was over too early; she believed team owners made the most money from a World Series once it reached a Game 5/6/7, thus robbing her of major revenue. She fussed and refused to pay for any post-game celebration for the team. The players reportedly resorted to celebrating on their own with hamburgers.
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, the champion manager of the team, left in 1992 after finding her not willing to back him in any way when he was sued by umpire Gary Darling for defamation (he had to get his own lawyer).


Controversies


Racism and white nationalist views

On November 13, 1992, Charles "Cal" Levy, a former marketing director for the Reds, stated in a deposition for Tim Sabo, a former employee who was suing the team, that he'd heard Schott refer to then-Reds outfielders Eric Davis and Dave Parker as "million-dollar
nigger In the English language, ''nigger'' is a racial slur directed at black people. Starting in the 1990s, references to ''nigger'' have been increasingly replaced by the euphemistic contraction , notably in cases where ''nigger'' is Use–menti ...
s." Sabo, who had been the team's controller, alleged that his
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firing was due to testifying against Schott in another lawsuit brought against Schott by several limited partners and because he opposed the unwritten policy of not hiring blacks. Schott's countersuit alleged that Sabo wrote unauthorized checks to himself and paid health insurance premiums to retired front-office employees. She asked for $25,000 in damages for defamation. Sabo ultimately lost his suit. Levy, who is
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
, alleged that Schott kept a
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armband at her home and claims he overheard her say "sneaky goddamn Jews are all alike." The next day, Schott issued a statement saying the claims of racism levied against her were overstated and that she did not mean to offend anyone with her statement or her ownership of the armband. Schott explained that the swastika armband had been a gift from a former employee. On November 29, Schott said the "million-dollar niggers" comment was made in jest, but then stated that she felt that
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was initially good for
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and did not understand how the
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" Jap" could be offensive. During the same season, a former
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executive assistant, Sharon Jones, is quoted in ''
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'' as having overheard Schott state: "I would never hire another nigger. I'd rather have a trained monkey working for me than a nigger," before the start of an owners' conference call. On May 5, 1996, Schott aroused ire when she made statements favorable of Adolf Hitler, saying he "was O.K. at the beginning, ..He just went too far." Later in the month, Schott was quoted in ''
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'' as speaking in a "cartoonish Japanese accent" while describing her meeting with the
Prime Minister of Japan The is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its ministers of state. The prime minister also serves as the commander-in-chief of the Japan Self-Defense Force ...
. Schott later stated that she did not like Asian kids "outdoing our kids" in high school.


Other incidents

Schott was the target of frequent criticism for allegedly allowing her ever-present St. Bernards, Schottzie and Schottzie 02, near-complete free rein of Riverfront Stadium, including their defecating on the field. In particular, Reds personnel had also complained of her dogs' hair frequently getting stuck on their uniforms; Schott believed this was a good-luck charm, and during their 1990 World Series run would send bags of his hair to the team facilities. The hair was so old it began to smell. When the original Schottzie died, he was buried in Schott's backyard, wearing a Reds hat. Schott was known for not wanting to hire scouts, stating that "All they do is sit around and watch ball games," and, for the opening week of the 1996 season, refusing to post scores of other games on the Riverfront Stadium scoreboard (the cost of this service was $350 a month). Schott reportedly said of the scoreboard issue, "Why do anscare about ''one'' game when they're watching ''another?''" On September 21,
1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
, professional wrestler
Randy Savage Randy Mario Poffo (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011), better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler and professional baseball player, best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation ( ...
(in his "Macho King" gimmick), was invited by Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman to join him in the booth. Prior to his wrestling career, Savage was a
minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...
player who played for
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(a Reds farm team). He joined Brennaman during the third inning, in a 11–7 loss to the
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, which garnered attention from players, umpires and fans in attendance. A furious Schott wanted Savage off the air and sent a message via her nephew Stephen H. Schott and the radio producer to Brennaman threatening to fire him. Brennaman cornered the younger Schott off the air, telling him: "Don't you ever try to intimidate me again. And if you have something to say, say it yourself". Reds
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Eric Davis also criticised the decision to have Savage ejected from the game, saying: On May 18,
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, during a speech before the Ohio County Treasurers Association, Schott commented that she did not want her players to wear earrings because "only
fruits In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...
wear earrings." She said, "I was raised to believe that men wearing earrings are fruity." Up to
1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
, the Reds had a long-standing rule prohibiting players from having facial hair. In 1985, Schott famously offered future Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers to play for the Reds, on the condition that Fingers would shave off his iconic handlebar mustache. Fingers supposedly responded that he would shave his mustache "when (Schott) shaves her Saint Bernard." The rule was rescinded in 1999 (shortly before she relinquished control of the Reds) after a discussion between Schott and newly acquired outfielder Greg Vaughn. In
1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...
, Schott famously announced in the middle of the season that manager Davey Johnson would not return, regardless of how well the Reds did. By all accounts, this was because of a personality clash between Johnson and Schott. Most notably, Schott did not approve of Johnson living with his fiancée before they were married later in the year. The Reds won the division and made it all the way to the
National League Championship Series The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the winners of the two Natio ...
, where they were swept by the eventual World Series champion
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, and Johnson was still fired. The Reds' 1995 NLDS win over the
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in that same postseason remains their most recent postseason series win to date, as the Reds have made the postseason four additional times since 1995, only to be eliminated in the first round on each occasion. Being Major League Baseball's oldest franchise, the Reds traditionally play the first game of the season at home. On April 1, 1996, they played the
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. The weather was cold and blustery and it had snowed earlier in the day. Shortly after the game started, home plate umpire John McSherry called a time out and motioned towards the Reds dugout, it was later presumed, for medical attention. After taking just a few steps, McSherry collapsed and fell to the artificial turf face first. Attempts to resuscitate McSherry failed and he was pronounced dead on arrival at
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Hospital about an hour later. The other umpires decided to postpone the game until the next day. Video showed Schott visibly upset that the game was to be postponed; reportedly she groused, "Snow this morning and now this. I don't believe it. I feel cheated. This isn't supposed to happen to us, not in Cincinnati. This is ''our'' history, ''our'' tradition, ''our'' team. Nobody feels worse than me." Schott later insisted that she was standing up for the fans, though critics saw her comments as highly insensitive and grossly inappropriate. Schott reportedly offended major league umpires in general—and members of McSherry's crew in particular—by regifting a bouquet of flowers given to her by the Reds' television affiliate, adding a sympathy note, and sending it to the funeral home. During the team's next homestand, Schott attempted to smooth over her feud with the umpires by apologizing to the crew—despite none of them having been in attendance at the game in question—only to have them refuse the gesture. At an unknown time on an airplane, Schott was allegedly approached by a woman who introduced herself as Edd Roush's granddaughter. Schott then replied, "That's nice hon, what business is he in?" Roush is a Hall of Fame center fielder who had many of his greatest years with the Reds. ''
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'' later dubbed her "Baseball's Big Red Headache", and ''Sports Illustrated'' would dub her as a "Red Menace".


Sanctions and forced retirement

Due to Schott's racist comments, a four-man committee was convened to investigate Schott. On February 3, 1993, she was fined $250,000 and banned from day-to-day operations of the Reds for the 1993 season. Jim Bowden took over as managing partner. Schott returned to work on November 1. Schott's comments about Hitler led MLB to ban Schott from day-to-day operations through
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
. On April 20,
1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
, Schott agreed to sell her controlling interest in the Reds for $67 million to a group led by Cincinnati businessman Carl Lindner. At the time she was facing a third suspension, failing health, and an expiring ownership agreement with her limited partners, who planned to oust her. Schott remained as a minority partner.


Philanthropy

In addition to her interest in the Reds, Schott was a major contributor to charitable organizations in Cincinnati, including Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the Cincinnati Zoo, where they named an
Asian elephant The Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''), also known as the Asiatic elephant, is the only living ''Elephas'' species. It is the largest living land animal in Asia and the second largest living Elephantidae, elephantid in the world. It is char ...
, Schottzie, after her dog. A second Asian elephant, named Princess Schottzie II, was donated by Schott in 1996. She is recognized for her major donation to the Boy Scouts' Camp Friedlander that was used to create an lake, christened 'Lake Marge Schott' in her honor. Marge Schott was also a generous contributor to special events at the
University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...
, such as the annual Homecoming Parade. From 2006 to 2020, UC's baseball stadium was named the Marge Schott Stadium in her honor. In June 2020, the university's board of trustees voted to remove her name from the stadium, citing her record of racism and bigotry, and renamed it UC Baseball Stadium.


Illness and death

Schott was a long-time smoker; in 2001 she began to develop health problems. Schott was hospitalized twice for breathing problems and suffered from
pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...
in 2003. Schott was hospitalized again on February 9, 2004. Some reports claim she was hospitalized due to a cold, while others said she complained of knee ailments; regardless, during her stay she developed breathing problems and had to be put on life support. She died on March 2 at age 75 at the Christ Hospital, in Cincinnati. Schott's funeral was held at All Saints Catholic Church, in the Cincinnati suburb of Kenwood. She is interred at Gate of Heaven Cemetery wearing her signature red suit with an elephant brooch.


See also

* Women in baseball * List of Cincinnati Reds owners and executives * List of female Major League Baseball principal owners *
List of people banned from Major League Baseball A ban from Major League Baseball is a form of punishment levied by the Commissioner of Baseball (MLB), Office of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball (MLB) against a player, manager, executive, or other person connected with the league as a d ...


References


External links


Baseball Library
– career events * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schott, Marge 1928 births 2004 deaths American people of German descent Women sports owners Major League Baseball team presidents Cincinnati Reds executives Cincinnati Reds owners American racehorse owners and breeders Businesspeople from Cincinnati Major League Baseball controversies American women chief executives American chief executives of professional sports organizations 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American businesswomen Women baseball executives 21st-century American women Race-related controversies