John Henry spoke to the Boston Red Sox fans for the first time in almost three years on Friday, and his comments were met with a chorus of boos.
Many fans of the Red Sox, Henry’s baseball team, were disappointed by the lack of investment compared to their MLB rivals, as well as the extortionate ticket prices.
The head of Fenway Sports Group appeared on stage at the Winter Weekend event in Springfield, Massachusetts, which gives fans the opportunity to chat with the team.
This was Henry’s first public appearance in front of supporters since February 2020, and when he was asked to solve the fans’ problems, his response was immediately met with boos.
“I think the most knowledgeable thing I can say is that having baseball players is expensive,” Henry said before the audience screamed.
John Henry has made an appearance at Winter Weekend 😬 (via @bclouse) pic.twitter.com/w5lEKkYiro
— Gone Bridge Podcast (@GoneBridge) January 21, 2023
VIDEO OF JOHN HENRY GETTIN BOOED pic.twitter.com/kaoM7BBoGr
— x- 𝕯𝖊𝖒𝖔𝖓 🖤💛 (50-11-5) (@BURNITDOWNNNNN) January 21, 2023
“What has allowed us to spend time with the Yankees and Dodgers over the years is your support, and that support is through ticket prices.”
Of course, for Liverpool, tickets and match revenues are a much smaller source of income than broadcast deals and sponsorship.
But it’s certainly interesting to see that Red Sox supporters share the same concerns as Liverpool fans about their team’s ownership regime.
The footage also shows how Henry was booed when he took the stage along with Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy, team manager Alex Cora and chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom.
John Henry met with tons of boos from Red Sox Nation. pic.twitter.com/1lyXVMQNFa
— Chris Henrique (@ChrisHenrique) January 20, 2023
“I think it’s important to say that over the years we’ve given everything we could to this franchise,” he continued.
“We live and die in every game.
“Look, I’ve had my share of disappointment, we’ve had quite a lot. Often these years were a disappointment because we were focused on what would happen next.
“You have to make decisions. Sometimes you have to let players go. It’s very, very hard. This is the worst part of this game, it really sucks.
“I just want you to know that we think about everything that’s going on here. We are fully invested, not only in monetary terms, we are fully invested in the desire to win championships. I promise you.”
FSG, of course, is currently exploring the possibility of selling Liverpool, but recent reports still suggest that a partial sale is now most likely.
