Margaret Carolyn Schott (née Unnewehr; August 18, 1928 – March 2, 2004) was an American baseball executive. Serving as managing general partner, president and CEO of Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds franchise from 1984 to 1999, she was the second woman to own a North American major-league team without inheriting it, after New York Mets founder Joan Whitney Payson.
She was banned from managing the team by MLB in 1993 due to racist comments and again from 1996 through 1998 due to statements in support of German domestic policies of Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, amongst other controversies over her beliefs; shortly afterwards, she sold the majority of her share in the team.
Early life and career
Schott was born in Cincinnati, one of five daughters of Charlotte and Edward Henry Unnewehr. Her father grew wealthy in the lumber business. She attended parochial schools and graduated from the Sacred Heart Academy. While in college, Marge Schott became a member of Theta Phi Alpha fraternity. 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. A widow at 39, Marge Schott never remarried and had no children of her own.
Cincinnati Reds
Schott had been a Reds fan for most of her life; from 1963 onward, she held an auction to raise money for the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, attended by several Reds players. In 1981, Schott bought a minority interest in the Reds as part of a group headed by insurance magnates William and James Williams. On December 21, 1984, she purchased a controlling interest for a reported $11M, making her managing general partner, and becoming the first woman to buy an MLB team. In 1985, she was named president and CEO of the club. Five years later, the Reds won the World Series, when they swept the Oakland Athletics.
Schott quickly became one of baseball's most publicly visible owners. The Reds had long been a family-oriented franchise, and fans praised her efforts to keep ticket and concession prices low. For instance, she kept the price of the basic hot dog at one dollar (), and kept box seats around $12 ()the cheapest in baseball. Unlike most owners, she sat in a regular box seat at Riverfront Stadium, and often signed autographs. She often allowed groups of children on the field to run to deep center field and back. She was also noted for always having Schottzie, her pet Saint Bernard, with her.
She was criticized for not spending the money it would have taken to build the Reds into contenders. This "cheap" attitude was sometimes conveyed in her own statements. She would publicly comment on occasion about having to pay players while they were on the disabled list, notably World Series hero José Rijo (who had an elbow injury), about whom she once complained of "paying three million dollars to sit on his butt." She also maintained one of the smallest and lowest paid front office staffs in the major leagues, was said to turn the heat down and lights off to save electricity.
In addition, it was revealed that Schott was far from happy about the team winning the 1990 World Series. She was annoyed that the team won the series in a "sweep" (the Reds swept the heavily-favored Oakland Athletics in four games). In her opinion the series was over too early; she believed that the owners made the most money off of a World Series once it reached a Game 5, thus robbing her of revenue. She fussed and refused to pay for any post-game celebration for the team. The players were reportedly forced to celebrate on their own with hamburgers. It was also reported that her opinions on the series were further "ruined" due to a dispute with Reds center fielder Eric Davis. The team refused to cover his surgery after Davis suffered a lacerated kidney in Game 4. The injury was ultimately so severe it would permanently impede his career; she was also annoyed at his seeming indignance over the matter, and went so far as to imply she favored seasoned veterans (suggesting that Davis' tenure, just over 5 seasons at the time, was still not enough).
Lou Piniella, the champion manager of the team, left in 1992 after finding her not willing to back him in any way when he was sued by umpire Gary Darling for defamation (he had to get his own lawyer).