The crack of a wood bat, the smell of popcorn, the cheers of a crowd as their team makes a run, and little kids running around in oversized jerseys. That is baseball.
Baseball is not about celebrating cross-dressers mocking Catholic nuns, or hushing players for having Bible verses on their hats. Baseball is meant to be a family and community sport. Parents should feel safe bringing their kids to a game without worrying about LGBTQ propaganda.
Players first took the field in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1846. Baseball quickly became America’s favorite pastime because it brought people together to play, watch, and create memories accessible to all. It became more than a game; baseball became a pillar of American culture.
For 180 years, fans have gathered around the diamond for this experience, but now, some families avoid ballparks because the league prioritizes political agendas over the game. There have been quiet rumblings of religious discrimination in the league, but recent events have brought this issue up to bat.
Baseball shaped so much of my life—I grew up in a family where Major League games were always on, falling asleep to Field of Dreams and watching The Sandlot on countless road trips to my brother’s tournaments. My first job out of college was at Nationals Park, home of the Washington Nationals. It was my dream job. I loved it, but the Lord redirected me to Concerned Women for America, His dream job for me.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think these two worlds would collide, until Friday, July 12, when the Giants played the Cubs. During a game celebrating “LGBTQ Pride,” Scripture unexpectedly took center stage—much to Major League Baseball’s (MLB) displeasure—when three Giants pitchers wrote variations of Genesis 9 on their “Pride” themed hats, and one refused to wear the hat.
The pitcher controls the game; they get a majority of the screen time. This means the Sscripture was seen clearly by everyone watching this game. Giants pitcher Landen Roupp threw just over 4 innings with the visible Sscripture.
Following the game, MLB issued warnings to the three players who wrote on their hats, citing their guidelines that state “[a] player may not write, attach, affix, embroider, or otherwise display nicknames or messages on apparel or playing equipment…”
However, this warning establishes a clear double standard.
Back in 2020, players were wearing Black Lives Matter (BLM) patches, and BLM logos were etched into the pitcher’s mound.
How can the league create patches for certain players to express their opinions while trying to stop players from sharing their values when those values oppose the league’s apparent political agenda?
After the game, Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) sent a letter to MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred, the Florida and Missouri Attorneys General raised concerns about potential religious discrimination, and the Department of Justice opened an investigation into the matter. Each of these authorities noticed the pattern of discrimination against Christians, and each is rightly calling an error on the play.
Commissioner Manfred responded to Sen. Hawley, saying these oral warnings to the Giants players were to enforce a “rule that keeps uniforms clean and avoids controversy.” To me, having a whole night basically worshiping “pride” is the controversial part.
In another instance of this pattern, an old colleague of mine at the Washington Nationals was rightfully fired after he was caught on tape admitting that the Nationals limit certain players’ social media presence because of their religious affiliations. He specifically mentioned pitcher Trevor Williams.
This situation stemmed from Williams’s post standing up for his faith after a Nationals vs. Dodgers game in L.A. featured the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a cross-dressing group that openly mocks Jesus Christ and many Christian traditions.
As a baseball fan, I am thankful to these players and government officials who are standing up against the politicization of the MLB. We want to “play ball,” not politics. The LGBTQ agenda of sexuality, sodomy, transgenderism, etc., does not need to be integrated into sports. Bark in the Park, Weather Day, Military Night, and other themed games are drastically different than Pride Night.
The double standard of having Pride Games with free T-shirts, hats, uniforms, avid social media attention, and more, while reducing Faith Night to a short conversation with players after the game is done and most people are gone, must end.
The MLB cannot say it wants to be a “welcoming place for all” but be selective about who “all” includes.
Sports are not a Jumbotron for political agendas. It is appalling that the MLB would try to silence Christians who refuse to align with a political agenda it should not be pushing in the first place. Of course, individual players should be free to express their beliefs, but teams and leagues should emphasize camaraderie and memories above politics.
If you are a baseball fan, I urge you to speak up to protect the game we love. I know many of us just want to watch the game, not get involved in politics. But if we remain complacent, these situations will only worsen. Let’s follow Trevor Williams’s and Senator Josh Hawley’s lead—be bold in your convictions!
Let’s get back to the game that began in a small town in New Jersey and has spread to every local park across our nation. A fun game that inspires little kids to dream big. A game that is just a game, not a political megaphone. Let’s play ball!
