Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner

Graham Platner began Memorial Day weekend by releasing an ad on the cable station that airs Boston Red Sox games accusing team owners of ruining the storied franchise

1. Frame 1Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner puts a Red Sox TV ad against private equity in front of Maine voters as he campaigns to unseat Sen. Susan Collins.
2. Frame 2NESN pulls the ad after the broadcast, saying the spot used unauthorized third-party intellectual property and violated its advertising standards.
3. Frame 3Fenway Sports Group mostly owns NESN and also owns the Red Sox and Liverpool, making the fight about ownership as well as politics.
4. Frame 4Platner turns the removal into a populist message, arguing private equity is making everyday life worse and accusing team owners of silencing the critique.
5. Frame 5Next test: whether NESN names the specific rule it enforced, or the pulled ad keeps feeding Maine's Senate race.