The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum Methodists reject Richmond over name of AAA Team

The United Methodist Church will not hold its 2012 leadership conference in Richmond, Va., because the name of the city’s minor league baseball team is racially charged, the church’s leadership has announced.

Members of the conference’s planning commission said they were unaware that Virginia’s capital was home to the Richmond Braves – a team affiliated with the Atlanta Braves – when they originally chose the city to host the Methodist Church’s General Conference.

The Methodists are now planning to hold the 2012 conference in Tampa, Fla., served by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays major league baseball team and Tampa Yankees minor league team.