A Pennsylvania minor league baseball team announced it will forfeit a scheduled game after several players refused to wear special Pride Night jerseys.
The York Revolution, a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, said Tuesday that its June 18 game against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs would not be played after multiple players declined to participate in the team’s annual Pride Night promotion.
“It is with great disappointment that the York Revolution have issued important changes to our 11th Annual Pride Night on Thursday, June 18,” the team said in a statement. “Most significantly, the scheduled game between York and Southern Maryland will not be played and Pride will still be hosted as a free admission event.”
According to the club, several players informed team officials they would not wear the jerseys planned for the event. The organization said it chose not to require players to wear the uniforms and instead moved forward with the Pride Night celebration instead of a game.
“Unfortunately, several of our players have refused to wear the scheduled Pride Night jersey and the club decided that hosting the event is more important than forcing players to wear jerseys they are not comfortable with and playing the game,” the team said.
The Revolution said the game will be recorded as a forfeit. Tickets purchased for the contest will be treated as a rainout and may be exchanged for any remaining regular-season home game, subject to availability.
The team also announced a $10,000 donation to the Rainbow Rose Center, an LGBTQ advocacy organization serving York and Adams counties, according to the York Daily Record.
“As a small token of our regret for the last-minute change of plans and support for our LGBTQIA+ representing partners, we are making a $10,000 donation to the Rainbow Rose Center,” the statement said.
The Rainbow Rose Center — a group that, according to its website, “builds a vibrant community of belonging where LGBTQIA+ individuals in York and Adams Counties are supported, affirmed, and able to thrive” — said it was disappointed that the game would not be played but expressed appreciation that the organization chose to continue hosting Pride Night.
“For more than a decade, this event has represented far more than a baseball game,” the center said in a statement. “It has been a celebration of visibility, belonging, and community.”
The center added that it remained grateful that the baseball team “chose to prioritize the continuation of Pride Night” over a baseball game. “Ensuring that LGBTQIA+ community members and supporters still have a space to gather, celebrate, and be seen.”
The free event will proceed at WellSpan Park from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday and will include music, limited concessions, and batting practice on the field. The York Revolution is scheduled to return to regular game action at home on June 19.
The team did not identify the players who declined to wear the Pride Night jerseys, and it has not announced whether any disciplinary action will be taken.
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