Red Sox President Gives Brookline Class of 2017 Free Tickets

BROOKLINE, MA — On Sunday the owner of the Boston Red Sox gave out Red Sox Tickets to Brookline High School's graduating class, his alma matter.

"No one's ever suggested that my report card was suitable for framing," said Sam Kennedy, president of the Boston Red Sox Sunday to a sea of 444 blue graduation capped seniors about to graduate - as their parents, friends and family looked on.

Kennedy who graduated in 1991 from BHS touched on the importance of mentors, the endurance impact of connections from Brookline High School and an appreciation of diversity as well as the need to discover embrace and pursue passion.

He also told the crowd that after thinking about what kind of graduation present he would have liked to have gotten most when he graduated he decided to give all this year's graduates tickets (and a guest) to a Red Sox game. That's 888 tickets to the game on Sunday, June 11.

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If the early interest in how to get a hold of those tickets is any indicator, Brookline High School's graduating class of 2017 is going to take up a lot of seats at the game, says Dean Scott Butchart, who coordinated the commencement speaker's appearance.

Butchart said he had tossed some ideas out to Paul Epstine, about possible speakers, but it was Epstine's idea to get Sam Kennedy to come speak.

"Some things are easy," said Butchart later. Although Butchart said Kennedy came to him shortly before the speech and told him he'd planned a gift to the class, Butchart said he didn't remember any other commencement speaker ever giving a gift to the graduates - let alone one so generous.

"The kids were delighted you can imagine," he said, adding that even the most unlikely baseball fans emailed him right after the announcement to coordinate ticket pick up.

Headmaster Anthony Meyer said later he knew Kennedy was considering giving student a gift, but he figured it might be something like a hat.

"What a cool way to end this cohort's time together: attending a baseball game together," he said later.

Tickets to a Red Sox Game and Kennedy's speech come as the high school has tackled issues of racial injustice and inequality over the past four years. It also comes after fans reportedly shouted racial slurs at a player from the Orioles during a game and then after a fan was ejected from the ballpark after another fan reported him for for making racist remarks.

“Those of us in leadership positions in sports, have not only the responsibility but the opportunity to show the world that intolerance and bigotry have no place in society and certainly not at Fenway Park,” said Kennedy.

Watch Brookline Interactive Group's Facebook Live recording of the whole event!

Photo of Sam Kennedy screen shot of BIG's live stream.