MLB sends warning letter to three Giants relievers for their anti-Pride Night protest

Major League Baseball has weighed in on the trademark dispute that has been brewing between American evangelicals and the rest of the world for the better part of the 21st century over the “meaning” of a rainbow. On Friday, a trio of Giants relievers defaced their uniforms in support of the evangelical’s “originalist” interpretation of the color spectrum compelling the league to search their documents folder for “Hey, Don’t Do That wink wink wink.pdf” Per Outsports,

“The writing on the cap violates our rules and consistent with normal practice we have warned the players about future violations,” Pat Courtney, MLB’s chief communications officer, told Outsports in a statement.

“The writing on the cap violates our rules and consistent with normal practice we have warned the players about future violations,” Pat Courtney, MLB’s chief communications officer, told Outsports in a statement.

No word from Christians on how their dispute is going with Reading Rainbow, Rainbow Bright, and the ice cream topping rainbow sprinkles — though, come to think of it, maybe that’s why some parts of the country call them “Jimmies.”

Anyway, no need for me to weigh in much. You’ve already read Brady, Grant, Wendy Thurm and, hopefully, Ann Killion.

As the Outsports article points out, the Giants did put out a statement, which to me amounts to “Sorry if you were offended.”

“The San Francisco Giants are proud to support Pride Night and the LGBTQ+ community. Baseball should be a place where everyone feels welcome, respected, and valued.

“We also respect that individuals may make personal choices about participating in team activations. We understand that the choices by individual players have caused pain and anger to many in the LGBTQ+ community and we are sorry for that.  Those choices do not change our organization’s commitment to inclusion, belonging, and creating a welcoming environment for all.

“We remain grateful to our fans, partners, employees, players, and coaches who help make Pride Night a meaningful celebration.”

“The San Francisco Giants are proud to support Pride Night and the LGBTQ+ community. Baseball should be a place where everyone feels welcome, respected, and valued.

“We also respect that individuals may make personal choices about participating in team activations. We understand that the choices by individual players have caused pain and anger to many in the LGBTQ+ community and we are sorry for that.  Those choices do not change our organization’s commitment to inclusion, belonging, and creating a welcoming environment for all.

“We remain grateful to our fans, partners, employees, players, and coaches who help make Pride Night a meaningful celebration.”

There doesn’t seem to be much mystery where the organization stands. As Buster Posey said in his introductory press conference when discussing what he was looking for in a GM, he likes the idea of a “servant leader,” a quality he had perhaps taken to heart for himself already. Based on Shayna Rubin’s reporting from last April, he’s made good on that desire, attending Sunday service with the players and really energizing the evangelical wing of the clubhouse.

It’s not unusual for staffers and coaches to join Sunday services, but this was the boss sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with them in prayer. It was just one of the implicit ways Posey — the team’s first-year president of baseball operations — is instilling trust between the front office and clubhouse.

“That’s a huge thing, having a guy that runs it all in there with you. Learning about the guy that’s putting us in this environment and allowing us to play this game at the highest level,” starting pitcher Landen Roupp said. “It’s pretty awesome.”

[…]

Second baseman Tyler Fitzgerald added: “Not to get too religious on you. But with the platform we have as players, people look up to us just like we look up” to Posey.

It’s not unusual for staffers and coaches to join Sunday services, but this was the boss sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with them in prayer. It was just one of the implicit ways Posey — the team’s first-year president of baseball operations — is instilling trust between the front office and clubhouse.

“That’s a huge thing, having a guy that runs it all in there with you. Learning about the guy that’s putting us in this environment and allowing us to play this game at the highest level,” starting pitcher Landen Roupp said. “It’s pretty awesome.”

Second baseman Tyler Fitzgerald added: “Not to get too religious on you. But with the platform we have as players, people look up to us just like we look up” to Posey.

Faith, Leadership, and the Home Run Life: Integrating Core Values for Personal and Professional Triumph

Buster Posey explores the intersection of faith and leadership in achieving both personal and professional success. He shares how core values and faith have shaped his journey from a celebrated MLB career to a role as a business leader. This presentation offers valuable insights for groups seeking to inspire and integrate ethical leadership and faith into their organizational culture.

Faith, Leadership, and the Home Run Life: Integrating Core Values for Personal and Professional Triumph

Buster Posey explores the intersection of faith and leadership in achieving both personal and professional success. He shares how core values and faith have shaped his journey from a celebrated MLB career to a role as a business leader. This presentation offers valuable insights for groups seeking to inspire and integrate ethical leadership and faith into their organizational culture.

So, the evangelical Giants take their role as leaders in the community very seriously and Buster Posey supports that. I’ll just say that in addition to having a lot of other unprofessional thoughts and feelings on the matter, I’m a bit bummed out by the idea that Buster Posey would follow the lead of the most fungible players on every major league roster on top of the team letting players claim a religious exemption to deface their uniforms on a night that’s supposed to be a partial Fan Appreciation Night. And then there’s Trevor McDonald posting to X for the first time in over 2 years to repost a KNBR post with Landen Roupp’s message, which he did when probably should’ve been preparing to face Pete Crow-Armstrong (who homered on the first pitch of the game).

There’s some low-hanging fruit that a more disciplined franchise might’ve clamped down on because the team looks so bad on the field. Seems like the focus could be on baseball instead of the identities of strangers. There are certain things that look worse when the team stinks. The Giants stink, so the questionable stuff looks bad and the bad stuff looks awful. Meanwhile, players on other teams have done this before, so the league maintaining the same response year after year is, in practice, a soft endorsement.

Anyway, the league and team have endorsed players publicly condemning the LGBTQ+ community. Thankfully for everyone but LGBTQ+ people, history assures us that public discrimination ends with just that group.