MLB commissioner responds to Giant's Pride Night controversy
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A June 12 game between the San Francisco Giants and the Chicago Cubs at Oracle Park turned into a controversy for the California team, now referred to as “Pride Capgate.”
To show support for Pride Month, players were given uniform caps with a rainbow logo to wear throughout the game.
Giants pitchers Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker, and Ryan Walker walked into the game wearing their Pride Night hats with a handwritten Bible verse “Gen 9:12-16” on their sides. A fourth pitcher, Sam Hentges, decided to forgo the rainbow cap entirely.
Following the game, MLB issued an oral warning to the players. They also immediately responded to the incident, saying “writing of any kind, with any message, is prohibited per Major League Baseball Uniform Regulations.”
However, it was later revealed that the warning was non-disciplinary, meaning players will not be fined or reprimanded for their actions.
A press conference held a little over a week after the episode was the first time Giants president of baseball operations, Buster Posey, was directly asked about the incident, but refused to answer any questions regarding the player’s caps.
“I’d like to recognize that the organization has shared its response to Pride Night, and I understand there’s strong feelings on this topic. There are differing perspectives,” Posey said.
“Out of respect to everybody involved, it’s not something that I’m going to revisit. I understand that some fans are upset and frustrated, and I can promise you that this is something that we have talked about a lot internally and will continue to do so.”
Following the backlash, the team released a statement restating their support for the queer community, which is the backbone of their home city: “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.”
Many fans and San Francisco natives were quick to voice their disappointment in the Giants players who did not support Pride, both online and in person.
A sea of protestors gathered on June 23 to criticize the handling of the Pride Night fiasco. Some were decked out in their official Pride MLB merch, while others had signs calling for “No Bigots in SF.” Some protestors even vowed to boycott the games until more action is taken against the players in question.