Marge Schott (August 18, 1928 – March 2, 2004) was the controversial primary owner, president and CEO of Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds for nearly fifteen years. She was the first female owner to buy a baseball team outright, rather than inheriting it.
Born Margaret Unnewehr in Cincinnati, Ohio, she was the daughter of a Cincinnati native who grew wealthy in the lumber business. She married Charles Schott, a member of a wealthy Cincinnati family, in 1952, and inherited his automobile dealerships and interests in other industries when he died of a heart attack in 1968.
Early Days with the Reds
In 1981, Schott first purchased a stake in the Cincinnati Reds. On December 21, 1984, she purchased controlling interest for a reported $11 million, making her a general partner and majority owner in the Reds organization, and in 1985 she was named President and CEO of the club. She quickly became one of baseball's most publicly visible and outspoken owners.
Success
In 1990, the Reds under Schott won the World Series against the heavily favored Oakland Athletics in a four-game sweep. Even though the Reds were major underdogs, they went the season wire-to-wire (meaning they were in first place for the entire regular season).
Controversial Moments
In 1992, Schott became embroiled in controversy after allegedly calling former Reds Eric Davis and Dave Parker "million-dollar niggers." It was also alleged that Schott had an old swastika armband at home. On November 14, Schott issued a statement saying that she was "not a racist." On November 29, she was quoted in The New York Times as saying that Adolf Hitler was initially good for Germany and that she didn't understand why the slur "Jap" was offensive. Major League Baseball appointed a committee to investigate Schott.
On February 3, 1993, Marge Schott was fined $25,000 and banned from day-to-day operations of the Reds for the year stemming from her use of racial and ethnic slurs. She returned to work on November 1.
On May 18, 1994, Schott was again caught up in controversy when she commented that she didn't want her players to wear earrings because "only fruits wear earrings."
The Downfall
The downfall of Marge Schott began in earnest on April 1, 1996, when the Reds were scheduled to open their home season versus the Montreal Expos on a wintry day in Riverfront Stadium. During the top of the first inning home plate umpire John McSherry would be felled by a massive heart attack and was pronounced dead a short time later. Due to the circumstances the remaining umpires made the decision to postpone the game until the next day. Later video tape would reveal Schott being visibly upset as the tragedy unfolded when it became obvious that the game would not be resumed, saying "First it snows, now this." A week later Schott made another strange decision, opting not to pay for the ticker service which provided scores of out-of-town games. Schott's reasoning was that fans at the game simply had no interest in games not involving the Reds. During the team's next homestand, Schott attempted to send condolences to John McSherry by sending flowers to a different umpiring crew, the umpires (upset over her Opening Day comments) would send them back. On May 5, 1996, Schott again said that she thought Hitler "was good in the beginning, but went too far." In response, Major League Baseball again banned Schott from day-to-day operations through 1998.
On April 20, 1999, Schott agreed to sell her controlling interest in the Cincinnati Reds for $67 million to a group led by Cincinnati businessman Carl Lindner. At the time she was facing a third suspension from Major League Baseball and an expiring ownership agreement with her limited partners, who planned to oust her. Schott continued to own a limited share of the team, however.
Death
In 2001, Schott, a long-time smoker, began to develop health problems. She was hospitalized twice for breathing problems and suffered from pneumonia in 2003. On February 9, 2004, Schott was hospitalized. Some reports claim she was hospitalized due to a cold while others said she complained of knee ailments. However, during her stay, she developed breathing problems and had to be put on life support. She died at age 75 in Cincinnati.
In addition to her interest in the Reds, Schott was also a major contributor to charitable organizations in Cincinnati, including Children's Hospital and the Cincinnati Zoo.
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