Last Friday night, the Giants hosted a Pride Night at their ballpark. Twenty-nine of the 30 MLB teams – the Texas Rangers are the exception – include Pride Nights among their slate of themed games designed to attract different segments of the fanbase. Ideally, these events are to show that gay fans are welcome at the ballpark, and, of course, to sell more tickets to them.
The vast majority of teams keep the symbolism and celebrations off the field. The Giants are one of two teams who extend the iconography onto the players’ uniforms with a rainbow-colored logo on their caps.
This year, three pitchers on the Giants – including that night’s starter, Landen Roupp – appeared to protest the spirit of the symbolism. Roupp wrote “Gen 9:12-16” on his hat, a reference to a Bible verse about rainbows — recasting the design as a reference not to Pride but to God’s covenant with the living after the Flood. The others added similar Biblical messages.
“That’s just kind of something I believe in, and I stand firm in that, and I’m thankful we live in a country where, you know, we have the freedom to believe what we want … and express what we want,” is what Roupp told reporters after the game.
The pitchers received a warning from MLB about violating uniform rules. Some uproar ensued, eventually inspiring Trump administration officials and Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley to accuse MLB of discriminating against Christian players.
Major League Baseball doesn’t get to police the beliefs of individual players. And they haven’t done so in the case of the San Francisco Giants who objected to their Pride uniforms.
Roupp is correct. He is allowed – in the sense that he will not face any legal ramifications – to express himself in that way. His employer, MLB, is allowed to remind him that their uniform policy specifically states that “players may not write, attach, affix, embroider or otherwise display nicknames or messages on apparel or playing equipment.”
Because he and the other pitchers did do that, MLB issued them a verbal warning. News of MLB’s mild reproach reached Vice President JD Vance, who posted on X, “Trump won we don’t have to do this anymore.”
“The writing on the cap violates our rules and consistent with normal practice we have warned the players about future violations,” MLB said. The league later followed up: “This routine verbal warning not to wear the hat in future games is not disciplinary and had absolutely nothing to do with the content of the message. We respect players’ right to free expression.”
MLB wanted it made clear this was not the only such warning about uniforms: “We have given the same warning numerous times in the past to players for messages such as ‘Dad’, ‘Happy Mother’s Day, I Love Mom’ and names of family members.”
In a public letter to Commissioner Robert Manfred Thursday, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon announced that she has asked the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to investigate the matter and reminded MLB that “federal law is clear: employers must modify their uniform requirements to reasonably accommodate their employees’ exercise of religion.” CNN has reached out to the EEOC on the status of any investigation.
Florida’s Attorney General James Uthmeier announced in a statement on Friday that he is “launching a formal probe into whether the league is engaging in religious discrimination by selectively enforcing its uniform rules — punishing Christian players for displaying Bible verses while routinely permitting and even encouraging secular, ‘social justice,’ and ideological messages.”
But the players were not punished. There was no action taken and no fines were levied.
The reasonable accommodation for religious objections was already in place. Players whose teams wore Pride Night caps had the option to wear their everyday, non-rainbow hats. One Giants player and two players on the Los Angeles Dodgers chose not to wear the Pride hats. You probably haven’t heard nearly as much about them.
Hats off
In 2022, the Tampa Bay Rays tried to join the Dodgers and Giants as the only teams to commemorate Pride Night with a dedicated hat and uniform patch. Five players chose not to participate, opting instead for their usual uniforms, which they were permitted to do. Their abstention sparked scrutiny and criticism and, the following year, MLB urged teams not to make uniforms part of their Pride celebrations in an effort to avoid future controversy.
The Giants and the Dodgers specifically requested and were granted permission to continue wearing the rainbow hats to reflect their history with the cause. The Giants were the first professional sports team to host an HIV/AIDS awareness day, back in 1994. The Dodgers were one of two teams to employ Glenn Burke, the first baseball player to come out as gay, and honored him and the second-ever out player, Billy Bean, with a permanent stadium display earlier this month.
It is a legacy those teams deemed worth honoring proudly because increased acceptance has generally been considered positive progress. Or, it used to be. As well, the player population in MLB skews Christian and conservative. (And throughout the lower levels as well, as evidenced by an independent league team that this week forfeited a game when fewer than nine players agreed to wear the Pride Night uniforms.) That’s why there are Faith Nights and team Bible study groups, and why players frequently appear on the field during pregame activities and in media availabilities wearing shirts that say “JESUS WON.”
It’s also why, presumably, MLB allowed players on the Giants and Dodgers to wear the standard-issued hats on Pride Night.
The Giants pitchers – relievers JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker along with Rupp – chose not to go that route. They chose, instead, to use the pulpit afforded them as professional athletes to make a big, if vague, statement. With that choice, they gained standing in a culture war. Civil disobedience is usually an effective tool for garnering attention.
Vance’s reaction – “Trump won” – is essentially accurate. In the past year, both registered Republicans and independents have become more likely to say that society’s “level of acceptance” has “gone too far.” So it’s not surprising to learn that any number of baseball players are willing to make a performance out of ensuring everyone knows some of their fanbase isn’t welcome at the ballpark. But it was a performance, not a sacrifice. They didn’t suffer for taking their stand at all.
With additional reporting by Hannah Rabinowitz
