Farm team abandons promo because of protests

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Associated Press


ST. LOUIS -- After fans complained, the River City Rascals canceled a "Sports Criminals Night" promotion that would have turned the stadium into a giant prison, with a fan thrown into a "dugout jail" each inning.

The June 2 promotion, announced Sunday, was intended "to humorously poke fun at how the media sensationalizes athletes who end up involved in the justice system," officials of the minor league team said.

But the Rascals, of the independent Frontier League, said Monday they would offer a different promotion at their ballpark in suburban O'Fallon.

"Our intent wasn't to honor or celebrate any criminal acts that were committed or alleged by a professional athlete, and was actually an attempt to identify how the media [have] changed in recent years as a result of these incidents," Phil Giubileo, the Rascals' broadcasting director, said in a statement.

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And to think I qualified for this promo.