Angels made big change to pregame video over Arte Moreno boos

Mar 24, 2019; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno at a press conference to announce a 12 year contract extension for center fielder Mike Trout (not pictured) at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Angels apparently had to make a big change to their pregame introductory video after a rather vicious fan reaction to owner Arte Moreno on Opening Day.

The Angels play a video montage featuring star players and key moments from the franchise’s 63-year history before every home game. The long-running tradition has included images of Moreno holding up his own jersey at a press conference.

That changed this week, according to Sam Blum of The Athletic. Moreno’s appearance in the video was heavily booed during Friday’s home opener, with “unambiguous” anger from fans directed at the owner. Moreno was in attendance for the game, making the situation more awkward.

Blum reported that on Saturday, all images of Moreno were suddenly conspicuously absent from the video montage, and have not returned since. No other obvious changes were made to the montage, suggesting the Angels simply got rid of the Moreno portion over the negative response.

It was already known that Moreno is hugely unpopular among Angels fans. Many blame him for the franchise’s ongoing struggles to build a contender, as their nine-year playoff drought is tied for the longest in the sport. This move is also consistent with other things the Angels have done, such as confiscating anti-Moreno signs in the past.

Moreno put the Angels up for sale in 2022 but went back on that decision a year later. He has since said he has no plans to sell and feels he has unfinished business. No wonder Angels fans cannot stand him.