Major League Baseball nixes jersey mandate promoting sexual deviance
Major League Baseball (MLB) has revoked its requirement for players to wear “pride”-themed jerseys and other apparel this month. While almost all MLB teams are observing a “pride” day or night at their stadiums in June, player pushback has changed the game.
The MLB ban on wearing such jerseys in June was issued quietly to all teams in February, apparently in an attempt to avoid the type of upset and media attention caused in the NHL in January by Ivan Provorov — a player who made a stand for his beliefs by refusing to wear apparel that celebrates sexual deviance.
The first media mention of the MLB's decision appeared in the Tampa Bay Times, alerting Devil Rays fans that their “pride day event will have a different look this year.” According to the Times:
The Rays changed their plan for this year’s celebration after teams were told at an owners meeting in February that MLB did not want uniform space used to promote specific causes that were not league-driven, such as for Mother’s Day or to honor Jackie Robinson.
The article refers to a controversy caused the previous year by the rainbow-themed hats and uniform patches players were required to wear. Stephen Thomas, the Rays’ vice president of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and team president Brian Auld admitted “the Rays learned from last year’s experience.”
This “experience” consisted of a brave stand made by a group of Tampa Bay pitchers: Jason Adam, Jalen Beeks, Brooks Raley, Jeffrey Springs, and Ryan Thompson. The five refused to wear rainbow logos on their uniforms in honor of “pride” night at the stadium, citing their Christian faith as the reason for their refusal.
Adam commented on their motivations on behalf of the group:
A lot of it comes down to faith, to like a faith-based decision. So it’s a hard decision. Because, ultimately, we all said what we want is them to know that all are welcome and loved here.
However, when it came to serving as physical advertisements for the cause, these pitchers felt they had to respectfully draw a line. Adam continues,
When we put it on our bodies, I think a lot of guys decided that it’s just a lifestyle that — not that they look down on anybody or think differently — it’s just that maybe we don’t want to encourage it…
In recognition of the player pushback, Family Research Council's Joseph Backholm comments:
This is a great example of what happens when a few people show some courage. It was always unreasonable to ask players to communicate a message they disagreed with — and when a few said no, the league was forced to justify what they were doing and couldn’t. Everyone but the bullies win in this situation.
