Baseball Commissioner Says Pride Jerseys Make Some Players ‘Uncomfortable’
Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has come out against a league-wide Pride Month celebration, and in particular, the tradition of special Pride uniforms.
Manfred said he would leave the decision to celebrate Pride at all to the individual teams, according to Washington Post reporter Chelsea Janes, but that the national organization has advised teams against having players wear special uniforms. “We have told teams, in terms of actual uniforms, hats, bases that we don’t think putting logos on them is a good idea just because of the desire to protect players: not putting them in a position of doing something that may make them uncomfortable because of their personal views,” Manfred said. READ MORE: Former Major League Baseball Player Brags He Paid Investigators So He Could Blackmail Gay Umpires Some players have refused to wear Pride-themed uniforms in the past.
Five Tampa Bay Rays players, Jason Adam, Jalen Beeks, Brooks Raley, Jeffrey Springs and Ryan Thompson, refused to wear a uniform with the team’s logo in rainbow colors last year, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Adam told the paper that the decision “comes down to faith.” “Ultimately we all said what we want is them to know that all are welcome and loved here.
