The network that broadcasts Boston Red Sox games has pulled a campaign ad from U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner, who bashes team ownership in the spot.

Platner, the presumptive Democratic nominee, released a 15-second ad that features lettering that is the same font and color as the Red Sox logo. The team is owned by Fenway Sports Group, a conglomerate that also owns the Pittsburgh Penguins and Liverpool F.C. FSG, which is run by John W. Henry, also owns New England Sports Network, which airs Red Sox games.

In the ad, Platner accuses FSG of having ruined the Red Sox and says he misses superstar Mookie Betts, whom the team traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020.

“Private equity has destroyed our favorite baseball team, stripping them for parts,” Platner says in the spot. “Private equity is buying up our homes, our sports, and our lives. I will reverse the private equity curse. I’m Graham Platner and I approved this message because I miss Mookie Betts.”

“Yesterday we started running this ad during the Red Sox game,” Platner posted on social media. “Midway through the game the ad was taken down by the station.”

NESN aired the ad during Saturday’s game, but the network stopped airing it partway through the telecast. On Saturday, NESN confirmed to The New York Times that it had yanked the ad.

“NESN removes advertisements when credible concerns arise regarding the use of intellectual property,” the statement said. “The advertisement in question was removed because the creative included unauthorized use of third-party intellectual property and did not comply with NESN’s advertising standards.”

The network did not specify what the alleged intellectual property issue was.

Henry bought the Red Sox in 2001, and since then the team has captured four World Series titles, more than any other team since that time. However, in recent years, ownership has been heavily criticized for trading Betts in 2020, third/first baseman Rafael Devers in 2025, and for not spending enough in free agency to shore up the offense. The team is currently in last place in the American League East.

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