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Kevin Youkilis supports petition to rename University of Cincinnati's Marge Schott Stadium
University of Cincinnati alum Kevin Youkilis believes the school should rename its baseball stadium. Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Youkilis supports petition to rename University of Cincinnati's Marge Schott Stadium

Kevin Youkilis has voiced his support for University of Cincinnati baseball players wanting to change the name of team's baseball stadium, which is currently named after former Reds owner Marge Schott. Former player Jordan Ramey started a petition calling for the University to stop associating with Schott.

"We have a responsibility to develop our kids for the future," Ramey wrote in the petition. "Black kids should not be made to play and represent a name such as hers and white kids should not be celebrating her legacy subconsciously."

Before selling her controlling interest of the Reds in 1999, Schott was repeatedly suspended and fined by the MLB for her anti-Semitic and racist remarks, including the time she claimed Hitler "was good at the beginning, but he just went too far." Schott died in 2004 and two years later, her charitable foundation made a $2 million donation to the University of Cincinnati athletic department, which is what caused the school to name its baseball stadium after her.

Youkilis, a University of Cincinnati alum and two-time World Series champion, tweeted his support of the petition over the weekend. He also revealed that the school discussed naming the field after him but he refused after discussing it with his father.

"Kevin that is such a great honor that they would think of doing this," Youkilis' father told him. "The only problem is that our family name will never coexist with that other individual. I will never let our family name be next to someone that was filled with such hatred towards our Jewish community. If they want to change the name completely, I'm okay with that."

Youkilis said it was one of his "dad's greatest teaching moments" and reiterated his support.

"We should change the name of the University of Cincinnati baseball stadium," Youkilis said.

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