So Far Only One MLB Team Isn't Hosting a 'Pride Night' Game - And It Doesn't Look Like They Can Be Bullied Into It Either
There was once a legendary group in Texas that, despite being hopelessly outnumbered and facing prospects of abject failure, stood their ground in the face of insurmountable odds.
That can apparently describe the Texians at the Alamo or the MLB’s Texas Rangers.
But whereas the men who perished at the Alamo were battling bayonets wielded by the Mexican Army, the Rangers are battling mounting pressure from LGBT activists.
It’s June, which means every corporate entity, including Major League Baseball, is partaking in some token celebration of LGBT “pride” until the calendar turns to July.
Here is MLB’s main Twitter account celebrating “pride” while stopping just short of actually mentioning what the individual letters in LGBT stand for:
Celebrating community, pride, and love of baseball! #Pride pic.twitter.com/KevUC8fpdu
— MLB (@MLB) June 1, 2023
Naturally, with the league itself celebrating “pride,” 29 of the 30 MLB teams have all scheduled some form of “Pride Night” game, where teams go out of their way to celebrate LGBT with any number of gimmicks — whether it’s rainbow-themed jerseys or drag queens at the ceremonial opening pitch, as the Boston Red Sox did last year:
WARNING: The following video contains content some viewers may find disturbing.
Tiffani Faison throws out the first pitch in celebration of Pride Night at Fenway Park. @tiffanifaison | #RedSox pic.twitter.com/Hyrlu7tT05
— NESN (@NESN) June 15, 2022
The one MLB team that has held steady in refusing to host a specific “Pride Night” celebration are those aforementioned Rangers — and public pressure is mounting for them to cave.
All manner of outlets, from Sports Illustrated to The Dallas Morning News, have called out the Rangers for refusing to hold a specifically denoted “Pride Night.”
Backlash from pro-LGBT baseball fans on social media echoed those sentiments:
Absolutely shameful @Rangers. Shameful. https://t.co/eR8EojPODo
— Cornell Woolridge 🦄 (@RenaissanceXM) June 3, 2023
@RangerBlake @Rangers if you truly believe in inclusivity, a Pride Night would be a huge step in the right direction. Especially for LGBTQ+ season ticket holders such as myself.
— Zach Zant (@zacharyzant) June 2, 2023
Despite that, the Rangers have held steady in not hosting a “Pride Night” event in June.
Per Sports Illustrated, this tradition began back in 2001 with the Chicago Cubs. Interestingly, the last two teams who didn’t embraced LGBT “Pride Night” were both from Texas. However, the Houston Astros eventually acquiesced and hosted their first “Pride Night” event in 2021.
While the Rangers may not host a specific event for “pride,” the organization was a “Platinum Corporate Sponsor” for the NAGAAA Gay Softball World Series that was held in Dallas in 2022, per WFAA.
When the outlet reached out to the baseball club, the team responded with a statement that made it clear they have no intention of breaking their tradition anytime soon.
“Our commitment is to make everyone feel welcome and included in Rangers baseball. That means in our ballpark, at every game, and in all we do — for both our fans and our employees. We deliver on that promise across our many programs to have a positive impact across our entire community,” a team representative told WFAA via statement.
The Rangers are in the midst of a stellar season, perhaps offering an explanation for why they are not interested in taking the focus off the baseball diamond. The team is currently atop its division and has the second best record in the league.
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