Minor league baseball’s York Revolution declined to play it’s Pride Night game on Thursday and opted instead to forfeit after players refused to wear uniforms that featured a rainbow design, team officials said.
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The Revolution’s game against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs was going to mark the Pennsylvania team’s 11th Annual Pride Night, but players refused to don special jerseys that had rainbow sleeves.
The Revolution forfeited.
“This decision was not reached lightly,” according to a team statement.
The spirit of Pride Night would’ve been compromised if players had been forced to wear uniforms that celebrated the community, the Revolution said. Other Pride Night events were held.
“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.
“As a result, and out of respect for the Pride Community and the York community as a whole, the York Revolution has decided that the game on Thursday, June 18 will be forfeited and that Pride Night will continue on as the feature element of the evening at WellSpan Park.”
Team officials criticized their own players for refusing to celebrate the LGBTQ community.
“To be clear; this action by the players is completely inconsistent with our vision as the Most Welcoming Place in York,” according to the team, which donated $10,000 to a local gay community center.
The Revolution and Blue Crabs are members of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), with teams that are not affiliated with MLB clubs.
The incident in York unfolded less than a week after four players with the MLB San Francisco Giants staged a silent protest against the team’s Pride Night celebration by writing Bible references on their hats.
After the Giants’ incident, MLB warned players not to deface uniforms.