Written by ESPN Staff at ESPN.com
Boston Red Sox owner John Henry has wanted the city to change the name of Yawkey Way for a while, and the current political climate might provide the right timing.
Henry told the Boston Herald that he is “haunted” by the racist legacy of previous owner Tom Yawkey, who led the team from 1933 to 1976. Although Yawkey is in the Baseball Hall of Fame, he also owned the last team in Major League Baseball to integrate — 12 years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. Even after integrating, Boston was known as an uncomfortable place for players of color to play.
Henry wants to put that past behind the team, without diminishing the good work that the Yawkey Trust has done. Funded in large part by the $700 million sale of the team to Henry, the trust has helped many worthy causes over the years.
“I discussed this a number of times with the previous mayoral administration and they did not want to open what they saw as a can of worms,” Henry told the Herald in an email. “There are a number of buildings and institutions that bear the same name. The sale of the Red Sox by John Harrington helped to fund a number of very good works in the city done by the Yawkey Foundation (we had no control over where any monies were spent). The Yawkey Foundation has done a lot of great things over the years that have nothing to do with our history.”
On Thursday, a spokesperson for current Boston Mayor Marty Walsh told the Boston Herald that the mayor is supportive of renaming Yawkey Way.
Henry said he’d like to rename the street that runs alongside the ballpark “David Ortiz Way” or “Big Papi Way,” after the retired Red Sox slugger, but Henry doesn’t run the process.
To continue reading this article, click here.
