Rangers unveil statue at home ballpark, reigniting historical context debate

Fans attending the Texas Rangers’ location opening bid against the Cincinnati Reds successful aboriginal April volition get their archetypal look astatine the recently installed, imperishable fixture successful near field.

Billed arsenic a tribute to the MLB franchise’s namesake, the Rangers unveiled the "One Riot, One Ranger" statue on the left-field concourse astatine Globe Life Field successful Arlington, Texas, Monday.

In 2020, the statue was removed from Dallas Love Field amid heightened radical tensions and the group’s analyzable past tied to contention relations.

The publication "Cult of Glory: The Bold and Brutal History of the Texas Rangers" examined parts of the instrumentality enforcement unit’s past. Its work coincided with nationwide scrutiny of immoderate constabulary practices aft the sidesplitting of George Floyd successful Minnesota.

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Globe Life Field successful Arlington, Texas, May 30, 2025, during a crippled betwixt the Texas Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals.  (Tim Heitman/Imagn Images)

In an Associated Press relationship astir six years ago, astir the clip the statue was pulled from the airport, "Cult of Glory" identified the fig arsenic Capt. Jay Banks. The publication states that, successful 1957, Banks led a radical of Rangers believed to person blocked Black students from enrolling astatine a section precocious schoolhouse and assemblage college.

In the article, "Cult of Glory" writer Doug Swanson said, "There’s a celebrated representation of him leaning against a histrion successful beforehand of Mansfield High School portion a achromatic fig hangs successful effigy supra the school, with Banks making nary effort to instrumentality it down.

"And Banks sided with the mobs who were determination to support the achromatic kids out. So, helium was the look of that."

The Texas Rangers instrumentality batting signifier earlier facing the San Francisco Giants astatine Globe Life Field June 8, 2021, successful Arlington, Texas.  (Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Russell Molina, a committee subordinate of the Texas Ranger Association Foundation, acknowledged the Rangers’ arguable past but said those who lived "up to the ideal" merit designation and argued the statue was not solely meant to correspond Banks.

"We admit that the past of the Texas Rangers, similar that of our authorities and nation, includes moments that indispensable beryllium confronted honestly," Molina said. "While not everyone who has served crossed much than 2 centuries lived up to the ideal, astir did, and they merit to beryllium remembered for their service, sacrifice and committedness to the radical of Texas."

Globe Life Field, the caller location of the Texas Rangers March 26, 2020, successful Arlington, Texas.  (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Swanson told The Dallas Morning News helium hoped the statue's latest placement would see much discourse astir the organization's analyzable past.

Fox News Digital contacted the shot franchise's media relations section but did not instantly person a response. 

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According to Globe Life Field's authoritative website, "While the ‘One Riot, One Ranger’ statue commemorates the fable surrounding the agency’s engagement successful the stoppage of an unsanctioned Dallas prize combat successful 1896, it besides stands arsenic a tribute to each who person served the enactment implicit its storied history."

Statues of erstwhile MLB stars Iván Rodríguez, Adrián Beltré and Nolan Ryan besides basal astatine the Rangers’ retractable-roof stadium.

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