Like all successful businesses, sports franchises continually work to increase customer count. Events like some recent MLB Pride Nights are part of their overall marketing strategy. Many teams offer similar promotional events for other groups such as Mexican Heritage Night, Japanese Heritage Night, African/Black Heritage Night, Faith & Family Night, etc. Each MLB team has 81 home games, so they have many opportunities throughout each season to reach out to specific groups of fans. These are perfectly acceptable promotional events. Professional sports have universal appeal, and I applaud their efforts to attract as broad an audience as possible.
Admission is not restricted to members of these groups on their particular promotional night. All fans who wish to purchase a ticket are welcome to attend. There may or may not be a specific section(s) where fans who wish to congregate and enjoy the game may gather, but there is neither a requirement nor a restriction to do so.
The recent controversy sprang out of the San Francisco Giants’ decision to place an LGBTQ+ rainbow pride flag on the team’s uniform hat. Some players objected to this requirement and either crossed through the flag logo or wore the standard hat and inserted the Bible verse Genesis 9:12-16. I can’t speak to their reasons for doing so, but I do feel that it was totally inappropriate for team ownership to make displaying this logo a requirement for their players.
It is one thing for all MLB teams to exclusively wear No. 42 on Jackie Robinson Day, or for all teams to display the No. 4 as a tribute to Lou Gehrig, or for the Dodgers to display No. 51 in support of Alex Vesia on the tragic loss of his daughter. In each of these instances the teams and players are honoring, paying respect to and supporting one of their own.
As for the rainbow pride flag, I will provide this perspective from history.com regarding its origins within the LGBTQ+ community: “The rainbow flag was created in 1978 by artist, designer, Vietnam War veteran and then drag performer, Gilbert Baker. He was commissioned to create a flag by another gay icon, Harvey Milk, for San Francisco’s annual pride parade.” His inspiration came from the overwhelming display of the American flag during the 1976 bicentennial.
The Bible verse in question is in reference to God’s covenant to Noah following the great flood: “Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” Note there is no reference to humans or even one specific segment of humanity. It is an open covenant to all living creatures.
Let me further provide this perspective regarding this passage from Christianity.com: “When we see the pride flags flying in June, we can turn our thoughts to the rainbow as a symbol of God’s great mercy. He promised not to flood the earth again, and his kindness extended to humankind and the creatures of the earth. Today, His promise stands, and He continues to show mercy. . . His (Jesus’) salvation is not only offered to a few, but to all regardless of nationality, background or gender.”
In spite of efforts by some to make this a political issue, please consider that it is never political to be all-inclusive. It only becomes political when an attempt is made to exclude someone or some group.
God is all-inclusive. Jesus is all-inclusive. True Christians are all-inclusive. Real Americans are all-inclusive.
Jack Crawford
Saugus
