The Real Question Isn’t Pride Night… It’s Whether MLB Enforces Its Rules Equally

As many Major League Baseball fans have probably heard, there have been players around the league “protesting” or opting out of wearing Pride Month hats during games. This can look a few different ways. Some players simply choose to wear their team’s standard cap instead, while others write Bible verses on their hats, as three San Francisco Giants players did.

I won’t use this article to talk about what is right or wrong. Instead, I want to offer a perspective as a Christian man who considers himself an ally of the LGBTQ+ community. I have many friends who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for them and the many things they go through, both physically and mentally.

Regardless of whether someone believes sexual orientation is a choice or not, people generally agree that individuals have a choice about what causes, beliefs, and movements they publicly support. Here’s a perspective: what if everyone made a choice about what to believe in and what to support, and we showed the same respect?

What I’m trying to say is that when it comes to who you are, whether you believe you have a choice in that or not, you still have a choice in what or whom you support. Sports should be no different.

Players have written on their caps to honor fallen players, like Yordano Ventura did for Oscar Taveras in 2014. That hat was not fined; it was sent to the Hall of Fame. In 2025, when Clayton Kershaw wrote the same Bible verse on his hat during Pride Month games, he also wasn’t fined.

The issue comes down to a few things. Is MLB saying your status as a star player matters in how it responds to your actions? Does MLB force players into supporting things they don’t want to support? Does MLB recognize its own rule that “writing of any kind, with any message, is prohibited” under its uniform regulations?

That raises the question again: why was Clayton Kershaw not fined last year for the same Bible verse on his hat? Why was Yordano Ventura praised for writing his friend’s name on his hat and having it sent to the Hall of Fame? And why are players now being treated differently for writing a Bible verse on that same hat?

Major League Baseball has every right to promote causes it believes are important. It also has the right to establish uniform policies and expectations for its players. The issue is not whether Pride Night should exist. The issue is whether MLB applies its rules consistently.

If MLB’s uniform policy prohibits players from displaying personal messages on their hats, then that standard should apply equally to everyone, regardless of the message being displayed. If exceptions are made for some messages or players but not others, the league opens itself to accusations of favoritism and selective enforcement.

I believe all people deserve dignity and respect, but I also believe we have to show that dignity and respect to others, too. I also believe that individuals should not be compelled to publicly endorse a cause, religious belief, or social movement that conflicts with their convictions. Those principles are not mutually exclusive, and people should respect that just as much as they respect those who share the same convictions.

The conversation should not be about treating players as heroes or villains based on their personal beliefs. It should be about whether Major League Baseball is applying its policies fairly and consistently to all players. If the rules matter, they should matter for everyone.

Do you have any thoughts about the MLB choosing to fine these players and not others? Do you want to see the MLB support more causes, which ones?