From Deseret News archives:

Sparks fly over Owlz name

Papers forgo coverage after intimidating e-mail

Published: Saturday, June 30, 2007 12:28 a.m. MDT
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
OREM — Utah Valley State College and the Orem Owlz are playing hardball over the name of the baseball stadium on the southwest corner of the college campus.

UVSC insists the name is the Brent Brown Ballpark, since the Provo auto dealer pledged $1 million to the school earlier this month to secure the naming rights.

The minor league baseball team, on the other hand, wants the stadium called the Home of the Owlz both at its games and in news accounts of the games.

Owlz general manager Zachary Fraser spun off a curveball last Saturday in an e-mail in which he threatened to pull the press credentials of reporters who do not refer to the stadium as the Home of the Owlz.

As a result, the Deseret Morning News and Daily Herald in Provo have chosen not to cover home games.

"I don't take well to blackmail," said Randy Wright, executive editor of the Daily Herald.

Readers of the Morning News will get scores and game summaries provided to the paper from other sources.

Readers still will see stories produced by the Deseret Morning News about players and coaches because they work for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and the Owlz cannot block access to them.

Story continues below
"What we won't do is send credentialed writers and photographers to Owlz home games while the Owlz's threat is hanging over us," said Dave Schneider, the Morning News' sports editor.

Schneider said bowing to the threat would give the Owlz editorial control over the newspaper's content.

Jeff Katofsky, one of the owners of the baseball team, insisted in an e-mail to Schneider on Wednesday that the park be called the Home of the Owlz during Owlz games and said the Owlz have no legal or contractual obligation to call it the Brown Ballpark.

"If you chose to ban yourselves from the Home of the Owlz and deprive your readers of the happenings at the most beautiful and entertaining summer events in Utah Valley, that is your choice," Katofsky wrote. "However, I think you are better journalists and businessmen than that."

The Daily Herald has a sponsorship agreement with the Owlz in which free advertising is traded for tickets and banners advertising the Herald at games.

Herald publisher Craig Dennis said he doesn't have a plan for how to proceed with this sponsorship now that the paper will discontinue covering games.

"This all happened very quickly," he said.

Dennis said he is disappointed the team's management has not tried to talk to him.

"I would think they would be wanting to reach out to me at some point on this," Dennis said.

Comments

You can be the first to comment on this story.

previousnext

Latest comments

I think it's important for NYC to be able to see some justice. This is not...

Aguante RSL!!! Best play at the right moment is no different than the best...

If it was up to you, homosexuality would be a crime, not just a sin. Your...

I'm sure this was scary and for a mission president everything is spiritual....

Enjoy WATCHING the finals while that Bingham team who wasn't "tested" enough...

Same old story for Jazz

If James hadn't blown right past AK, Boozer wouldn't have needed to try to...

I am so sorry for anyone who is bitten or attacked by any dog. I feel it is...

TCU creams U.

Utah fans | 10:21 p.m. Nov. 14, 2009 But speaking of missed field goals, how...

RSL's Rimando makes 3

That was the best shootout performance by a keeper I've ever seen! We were...

Does nobody consider the rights of private property owners to dispense their...

Advertisements
Advertisement