A new report claims that the Texas Rangers are being criticized for not holding a “pride” Night.
As noted by Breitbart, the Rangers are the only Major League Baseball that does not have what has become a de rigueur event for other teams, most often in June, which LGBT advocates celebrate as “pride” month.
“The fact of the matter is it’s a free marketing opportunity, it doesn’t cost them anything personally and they can boost revenue by looking inclusive,” a former employee who was with the organization for roughly a decade said, according to the Athletic. “The fact that there hasn’t been one (for Texas), is the biggest ‘actions speak louder than words’ I’ve ever seen.”
“It’s the bare minimum thing,” the former longtime employee said. “The fact that there’s so much resistance is a huge point of contention, not just for the gay folks, but for everyone. It was always something that bothered me greatly about the organization. They do a lot of things well, where they have all these other nights for different fans and cultures. The fact that they omit one group very clearly is just ridiculous.”
The former worker said the team could hold a “pride” night if it wanted to.
“It’s the lowest freaking bar. If someone has a problem with it, they have 80 other home games. Have a section and a special ticket. Just stop making people feel like they aren’t welcome,” the former employee said.
The Athletic printed multiple complaints from sources it said were current or former team employees.
Rafael McDonnell of the Resource Center, an agency that advocates for LGBT populations, said, “The Rangers are the most difficult team to work with. And you can’t tell me the demographic of fans between the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers is that different.”
Team owner Ray Davis was the target of some of the venom.
Should MLB teams be boycotted for hosting LGBT nights?
Yes: 93% (42 Votes)
No: 7% (3 Votes)
“If someone asked me if ownership is homophobic, I would say they haven’t blatantly said anything, but their actions say otherwise,” said Alex Plinck, a writer for the Dallas Sports Fanatic who said he identifies as gay and has done so publicly for three years.
“There’s no other reason why you wouldn’t [have a “pride night.”] It’s murky, right? I can’t say they are (homophobic) but what other reason would you have not to? Some of the other theme nights they have also make people upset. They have 18 home games this month. And you can’t find one of 18 games to fit one in?” he said.
Writing on Outkick, Amber Harding defended the team.
“We saw what happened when the Los Angeles Dodgers hosted the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence — an outlandish drag nun group that mocks Catholicism. Not only did they piss off their fans (and many baseball players), but they also lost tens of thousands in revenue.
“And for what? To endear themselves to the far left, alienate a majority of their actual fanbase, and pat themselves on the back for a virtue-signaling job well done,” she wrote.
The subject of the lack of a Texas Rangers “pride” night has vexed the media in the past. In 2021, the Dallas Morning News received a statement from the team on the subject.
“Our commitment is to make everyone feel welcome and included in Rangers baseball,” Executive VP for Communications John Blake said in the statement.
“That means in our ballpark, at every game, and in all we do — for both our fans and our employees. We deliver on that promise across our many programs to have a positive impact across our entire community.”
The Dallas newspaper also cited a 2020 quote from Chief Operating Officer Neil Leibman.
“With respect to Pride Night, we reached out to the Resource Center and said what can we do internally,” he said, referring to the pro-LGBT organization.
“We immediately adopted some changes they suggested to be more inclusive in hiring practices. I think that’s more meaningful than just saying ‘OK, we had a ‘pride night,’” he said.
