Companies are learning the hard way that AOC is highly protected.
Minor league baseball team, Fresno Grizzlies continue to see the effects of their actions from last week when they showed a video that suggested Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is one of America’s “enemies of freedom”
#BREAKING Heineken USA, the parent company of Tecate and Dos Equis, has announced it has terminated its sponsorship of the Fresno Grizzlies after a controversial video was aired at Chukchansi Park on Memorial Day.https://t.co/njzQ1NfF3k
— ABC30 Fresno (@ABC30) May 31, 2019
The LA Times reports Dos Equis and Tecate beers, both owned Heineken International, announced Thursday that they would no longer sponsor the Fresno Grizzlies days after the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals played the controversial video between games of a Memorial Day doubleheader against El Paso.
“Tecate has always been about togetherness and we do not support the views expressed in the video,” Tecate said in a tweeted statement.
Tecate has always been about togetherness and we do not support the views expressed in the video, that was aired during the Fresno Grizzlies game on Memorial day. We have ended this relationship effective immediately and have let the team know of our decision.
— Tecate (@tecate) May 31, 2019
Dos Equis tweeted: “We are disheartened to learn of the views expressed in the video that aired during Monday’s Fresno Grizzlies game, as they do not reflect our core values.”
We are disheartened to learn of the views expressed in the video that aired during Monday’s Fresno Grizzlies game, as they do not reflect our core values. We have ended our relationship with the team, effective immediately, and we have informed them accordingly.
— Dos Equis (@DosEquis) May 30, 2019
The video features audio from Ronald Reagan’s 1981 inaugural address. Around the three-minute mark, when the former president mentions “the enemies of freedom, those who are potential adversaries,” an image of Ocasio-Cortez appears, just after the likeness of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and immediately preceding that of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
The Grizzlies issued an apology, stating that the organization “allowed this video to play without seeing it in its entirety first.” They also noted that the employee responsible has since been reprimanded.
Sun-Maid also parted ways with the team, citing the video as their reasoning.
However, the Nationals seem to be sticking by their team, “based on their investigation, it is clear to us that this was an honest mistake by a long-time employee and was not politically motivated,” said Vice President of Communications for the Nationals, Jennifer Giglio. “They have put processes in place to ensure it does not happen again and we are comfortable with those procedures.”
But Ocasio-Cortez said in response to the video in a series of tweets Tuesday evening that “words matter, and can have consequences for safety.
What people don’t (maybe do) realize is when orgs air these hateful messages, my life changes bc of the flood of death threats they inspire.
I‘ve had mornings where I wake up & the 1st thing I do w/ my coffee is review photos of the men (it’s always men) who want to kill me. https://t.co/hiYbPghad7
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 28, 2019
Consequences that did indeed happen.
