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MLB ‘Pride Night’ Fiasco Takes Another Turn

The media turned rabid asking about the 'disrespect' from Christian players.

Amanda Prestigiacomo
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MLB ‘Pride Night’ Fiasco Takes Another Turn
Kavin Mistry/MLB Photos via Getty Images

San Francisco Giants leaders are refusing to speak ill of the Christian players who counter-signaled the team’s LGBT “Pride Night.”

Reporters on Tuesday night pressed San Fran manager Tony Vitello about the recent “Pride Night” fiasco, where players were pressured to wear gay pride rainbow-logo hats. When a reporter suggested Vitello was somehow disrespected by Christian ball players who added Bible verses to their hats, he refuted the journalist.

The reporter argued that because the Christian players didn’t tell Vitello they were going to write on their hats, it was an act of “disrespect to the manager.”

“I don’t see that as a disrespect to me to be honest with you,” Vitello responded, adding that what would be disrespectful in his view would be players not giving it their all on the field for their teammates. “I have not been disrespected in this role, at all.”

Buster Posey, the Giants’ president of baseball operations, also shared a vague statement about the Christian players, and then refused to answer questions about anything other than “baseball.”

“I’d like to recognize that the organization has shared its response to ‘Pride Night,’ and I understand that there’s strong feelings on this topic,” Posey said, before taking questions from the media. “There’s differing perspectives, and out of respect to everybody involved, it’s not something that I’m going to revisit.”

Reporters continued to press Posey about the Christian players, stressing that they believe the LGBT community is vital to the San Fran area. Posey, time after time, told the press that he’d only take “baseball questions.”

The response online was generally positive from apolitical and conservative X users, who criticized the media. However, as California-based civil liberties attorney Laura Powell highlighted, the controversy started because the Giants chose to host a “Pride Night.”

“Tense moments as the press pesters Buster Posey with questions about the Pride cap controversy, but he says he will only respond to baseball-related questions,” she wrote. “I was on Posey’s side, as I’m sick of the local media milking this story with biased takes, but this reporter made a good point: ‘But you guys have made this baseball related because you had Pride Night.'”

“Stick to baseball, please!” Powell added.

Powell also noted the LGBT flags at the stadium, commenting on how “captured” the organization has become.

“The top of the pole is a position of honor, indicating a greater rank,” she wrote. “Why did the SF Giants place the trans flag above the ‘progress pride’ flag, which is a modification of the rainbow flag that expressly honors the trans identity? How captured is this organization?”

Related: MLB Scrambles For Damage Control After Targeting Christian Players. No One’s Buying It.

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