MLB admits Giants made a mistake, says players don’t have to wear LGBT-themed uniforms

The commissioner of Major League Baseball says in a new letter to a U.S. senator that players are not required to wear Pride Night uniforms and that the San Francisco Giants organization erred in failing to communicate that policy to its players.

The June 19 letter from Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. came less than 10 days after three Giants pitchers – Landen Roupp, J.T. Brubaker and Ryan Walker – sparked controversy in the liberal city by writing Genesis 9:12–16 on their rainbow-themed ballcaps on Pride Night.

Their actions prompted Major League Baseball to issue an oral warning reminding the three players that they were not permitted to write messages on their caps – and that warning, in turn, led U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, to write Manfred, expressing concern that the players’ religious liberty rights had been violated.

Manfred, in his letter to Hawley, said the league’s policy prohibiting messages on caps remains in effect but emphasized that the three pitchers were never required to wear the rainbow-themed hats in the first place. That policy allowing players to opt out of wearing Pride-themed apparel was put in place in 2023, he said. Further, Manfred added, only two teams – the Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers – are permitted to use Pride-themed uniforms under a grandfathered exception.

“As a league, we agree with the principle that players or other Club employees – at their place of work – should not be compelled to participate in a celebratory event (particularly by wearing something on their person) if such participation would violate their sincere religious beliefs or values,” Manfred wrote. “As a result, to avoid putting players or others in an uncomfortable position, beginning in 2023, we adopted a policy of not permitting Clubs to utilize special uniforms, hats or equipment in their celebration days except under very narrow circumstances (patches honoring deceased members of the baseball community, commemorating baseball milestones, and things of that nature).”

The Dodgers and Giants requested and were granted an exception in 2023 allowing the use of Pride emblems because both cities are home to “some of the largest LGBTQ communities in the United States,” and the teams “desired to show their appreciation and support for those communities that have supported their Clubs throughout the years,” Manfred wrote.

The league “agreed to allow them to utilize the hats/uniforms with the emblems provided that no player or uniformed staff would be required to wear them” – and that the “team would speak to the players to make sure they were comfortable with the apparel,” Manfred explained.

“Unfortunately, this year the Giants’ communication with players was inadequate and not clear,” Manfred said. “Some players apparently did not understand that they had the option to wear their normal uniform and elected to add messages to their hats bearing the pride logo as a result. The Giants players were allowed to wear the hats with the biblical references for the entire game.”

Manfred’s office “issued a routine oral warning about the uniform policy violation” without being aware of the “Giants’ lapse in communication,” Manfred said.

“The players were neither fined nor disciplined, nor will they ever be,” he wrote.

Major League Baseball, he added, “believes in the right of our players and fans to express their religious beliefs” and also “supports the communities in this country that are fans of our Clubs, including the LGBTQ community.”

“We believe that a policy permitting our Clubs to celebrate or honor segments of its fanbase, yet does not require players or other on-field personnel to directly participate in the celebration in ways that make them uncomfortable, strikes the right balance.”

Meanwhile, the league will continue to prohibit uniform alterations “of any type no matter how positive” in order to avoid “the problems associated with censoring some messages but not others,” Manfred wrote.