Cincinnati Reds supporters are not exactly the happiest fans in Major League Baseball right now. They are so unhappy that many have made their feelings on the team known at the Great American Ball Park early in the 2022 season. Earlier in April, fans encouraged owner Bob Castellini to sell the team with signs at the stadium. Some fans even put bags over their head in disgrace.
Initially, fans with these messages were told to remove their signs and shirts or leave the stadium altogether. But the team has changed its tune, according to Cincinnati.com.
"This was a mistake on our part. We have taken corrective action ... We understand people want to express themselves in the ballpark. We don't think we'll have another problem with that," Tim O'Connell, vice president of facilities and operations, said:
He noted that fans are able to send the messages they want to the team, "even if it is to express displeasure."
One fan, Cole Murray, explained to Cincinnati.com what happened when he showed up to a game with a bag over his head that read, "Sell the team, Bob."
"A spokesperson from the Reds came down in the middle of the interview and said we had to take the bags off and they couldn't cover our faces," Murray said. "They told me I could throw it away or I would not be permitted to enter the stadium."
Reds president Phil Castellini initially said "Well, where are you going to go?" to the question of why fans should stay loyal to the team after Cincinnati traded away multiple veterans this offseason and slashed payroll.
"I let my frustration get the best of me," Castellini said after blowback.
The Reds are currently 3-13. That's not only the worst record in the NL Central, but it's the worst in the entire league. The team has not won a playoff series since 1995.
