Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred is under fire after comments he made on Pride Nights across the league.
Pride Nights and Pride Weekends are done to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and hope to provide and foster a safe environment for them. Oftentimes, they’re well-received events by the teams and communities. Conservative opponents have disagreed, and lately, across the sports world, there have been instances where teams have opted out. The Texas Rangers recently were called out for being the only MLB team not to host a Pride Night this season.
Almost inexplicably, when Manfred spoke about letting teams choose whether to host Pride Night events versus standardizing them across the league, he had this to say. Per Chelsea James, Manfred said, “We have told teams, in terms of actual uniforms, hats, bases, that we don’t think putting logos on them is a good idea just because of the desire to protect players. Not putting them in a position of doing something that may make them uncomfortable because of their personal views.”
Manfred, on leaving Pride nights up to teams versus standardizing across the league:
“We have told teams, in terms of actual uniforms, hats, bases that we don’t think putting logos on them is a good idea just because of the desire to protect players:
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) June 15, 2023
not putting them in a position of doing something that may make them uncomfortable because of their personal views.”
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) June 15, 2023
This statement is entirely too loud for its own good and, as a result, is uncomfortable to read. While performative activism has its issues, the simple fact is human rights are at stake in this conversation. That should supersede everything, and a mere logo on a T-shirt, cap, or base causing outrage to that degree is gratuitous, which might put it mildly.
Fans absolutely blasted Rob Manfred for his LGBTQ Pride Night comments, with some ranging from pointing out hypocrisy to straight-up anger.
Protecting players from rainbows should be our #1 priority as human beans. https://t.co/4Fcfqmk6aX
— Baseball GIFs (@gifs_baseball) June 15, 2023
feels like for a dozen games a year everyone has to wear camo pajamas and i would love to see the reaction if one of these chuds said he doesn't want to wear 42 https://t.co/KqYPreZ8PH
— Sen. Lemon Gogurt ugarles.bsky.social (@Ugarles) June 15, 2023
Does this also apply to the endless pro-military propaganda in baseball? https://t.co/ynmh7AWbDo
— Nicolas Gonzalez 🪶 (@NicoSGonzalez) June 15, 2023
extra love the Giants for this. https://t.co/Gki6Me1XN1 pic.twitter.com/mNrgVNkPia
— Rachael (@Rachael_With2As) June 15, 2023
Yeah, obviously Rob Manfred thinks putting logos on jerseys is a bad idea. https://t.co/ZYazMNImUL pic.twitter.com/wU3IkAvAMK
— Mike Beauvais (@MikeBeauvais) June 15, 2023
Here's the thing. I understand if MLB doesn't want to mandate Pride night. I think it would send a meaningful message to many people if they did, but I get how these leagues and owners are. But actively discouraging teams who might want to wear jerseys in support https://t.co/1V7zwkb1oK
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) June 15, 2023
under the guise of "protecting players" is where I think this starts to hurt people. What do they need to be protected from?
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) June 15, 2023
I love how anti-LGBTQ+ people have been able to frame their discrimination as part of a belief system, as if it's the same thing as preferring mustard to ketchup https://t.co/BRL2SSzS1s
— Jordan Zirm (@JordanZirm) June 15, 2023
He is the absolute worst https://t.co/aK5kW7VQHt
— ellen teapot 🇨🇦🇺🇸🏳️⚧️ (@asmallteapot) June 15, 2023
Protect players from what? Rainbows are really that scary? https://t.co/U0aDgXfAtE
— Trav (@Travis_LFGM) June 15, 2023
maybe the players who feel uncomfortable should be forced to feel that discomfort and just sit with it for a while. they probably won’t learn anything from it but there’s a lesson there https://t.co/Cr41jLaW7M
— Brian Floyd (@BrianMFloyd) June 15, 2023
There is nothing more sacred to baseball then protecting bigots. It’s quite honestly the only thing they have excelled at over the last 120 years https://t.co/YaF5yhrxJv
— Nick Fink (@finkn23) June 15, 2023
