Tone deaf? Braves play 'Rock You Like a Hurricane' during game against Miami
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Sean Newcomb works in the first inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Sept. 7, 2017, in Atlanta. (Associated Press)
It probably wasn't the best song the Atlanta Braves could have played over the public address system Thursday night during their home game against the Miami Marlins.
“Rock You Like a Hurricane,” a 1984 hit for the Scorpions, may have struck fans at SunTrust Park as a little insensitive, given that the Marlins' home city was preparing to deal with Hurricane Irma.
According to Clark Spencer, the Miami Herald beat writer for the Marlins, a Braves official later apologized and said the song “should have been pulled” from the home playlist.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}To their credit, the Braves offered fans from Irma-affected counties in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina a chance to see this weekend's four-game series against the Marlins for free. They just need to produce a valid state I.D. (Both teams are unlikely to reach Major League Baseball's postseason this year, so plenty of seats are available.)
"We know how difficult it has been for those who have had to pack up and leave their homes as Hurricane Irma approaches," said Derek Schiller, Braves' president of business, said in a press release. "We hope we can help take their mind off the storm for a few hours by coming to enjoy a baseball game at SunTrust Park."
However, playing an inappropriate song, after offering fans a way to “take their mind off the storm,” might have spoiled some of the goodwill the Braves fostered with the gesture.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hurricane Irma, the most powerful Atlantic Ocean storm in recorded history, is feared to hit Florida on Sunday.