![]() ![]() As the New York Mets’ Mark Canha put it last year: “I think I’m probably in the minority in saying I’m an ally to community … You have to hope that this country moves towards a place of more acceptance and more forward thinking.” A significant proportion of MLB players are from strict religious backgrounds, while much of its US talent pool – and fanbase – is drawn from conservative parts of the country. The pitcher apologised but the furore appears to have played a role in the team dropping him on Friday, hours before he was to catch a ceremonial first pitch during the Blue Jays’ Pride Weekend as a form of atonement. Last month Anthony Bass of the Toronto Blue Jays reposted an Instagram video that described Target and Bud Light’s support as “evil” and “demonic”. Yet even it was accused of “going woke” for strengthening its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The fast-food chain Chick-fil-A was founded by a staunch Christian, is closed on Sundays and has previously donated to organisations with anti-LGBTQ+ stances. Sales of Bud Light plummeted after a transgender influencer posted an Instagram video promoting the beer, while Target removed some Pride products from its stores after threats towards employees. In the “war on woke” waged by leading Republican politicians such as the Florida governor and presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis, some brands seeking to showcase their progressive credentials have faced intense rightwing criticism and calls for boycotts. Once viewed – however speciously – as an escape from the wider world, American sports and politics have been explicitly entwined since athletes began protesting civil rights injustices, prodding their organisations to take a stance amid the polarising rise to power of Donald Trump. Resistance from players has been especially visible in the NHL, where several teams have decided not to wear Pride jerseys, not least because of the presence of Russian players and the anti-gay laws in that country. There was no repeat rainbow rebellion during last Saturday’s Pride Night at Tropicana Field after MLB introduced a policy this season forbidding teams from changing their uniforms to mark local themed events. “Maybe we don’t want to encourage it if we believe in Jesus, who’s encouraged us to live a lifestyle that would abstain from that behaviour,” pitcher Jason Adam told the Tampa Bay Times. When the Tampa Bay Rays added rainbow colours to the team’s uniforms for Pride Night last year at least five players refused to wear the altered kit. Trevor Williams, a pitcher for the Washington Nationals who is Catholic, said he is “deeply troubled” by the invitation. He also revealed that Dodger Stadium will host a Christian Faith and Family Day in July. The Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, a Methodist, voiced his disapproval at his club’s invitation to the Sisters, although he said his issue was with the Sisters specifically rather than Pride month. The Sisters were also invited to the Los Angeles Angels’ Pride Night last week as guests of the Anaheim mayor and protestors reportedly held a prayer circle outside Angels Stadium. So the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights launched what it termed an “ad blitz” on local radio in Los Angeles urging fans to boycott the game. Fuelled by fulminating rightwing media, a backlash ignited that prompted the team to rescind the invitation for being too controversial.įollowing criticism from LGBTQ+ supportive groups the Dodgers reversed course and the Sisters returned to the lineup at a stadium where 23 years ago security ejected two female fans for celebrating home runs by kissing. But in May a Republican senator from far-away Florida, Marco Rubio, described them as an anti-Catholic “hate group” and grumbled to the MLB commissioner, Rob Manfred. The team invited The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an anti-bigotry activist group of queer and transgender drag performers who dress as nuns, to give the Sisters a Community Hero award. The Dodgers will hold a Pride Night on 16 June for the visit of the San Francisco Giants. ![]()
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