In the face of public backlash and devastating consumer boycotts, many corporate entities have backed away from the public celebration of Pride Month over the past two years, but some corporate forces still haven’t learned the lesson. On Thursday night, one group of businessmen were given a lesson when the players on the baseball team that they own and operate rebelled against a planned Pride Night event.

The minor league York Revolution baseball team, based in York, Pennsylvania, canceled a game Thursday night against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, ultimately forfeiting the game, when players refused to wear LGBT Pride jerseys that management had picked for the night. “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,” York Revolution management said in a statement. The Pride Night event was still hosted, but without a baseball game. Management then proceeded to criticize players for refusing to wear the Pride-themed gear:

“To be clear; this action by the players is completely inconsistent with our vision as the Most Welcoming Place in York. 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 to support and further their work in making sure the York community is as inclusive as we strive to make WellSpan Park in York, Pennsylvania.”

York-based businessman Bill Shipley owns the controlling interest in the York Revolution and his son, Ben Shipley, serves as president and general manager, as of 2025. Other investors include the Kinsley Companies and Stewart Companies, among others.

Last week, players for the major league baseball team San Francisco Giants similarly rebelled against Pride Month messaging when pitchers Landen Roupp, J.T. Brubaker, and Ryan Walker wrote Bible verses on their Pride-themed caps. The trio used a passage from Genesis, in which God declares the rainbow a sign of His covenant with Noah:

“And God said: This is the sign of the covenant which I give between me and you, and to every living soul that is with you, for perpetual generations. I will set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be the sign of a covenant between me, and between the earth. And when I shall cover the sky with clouds, my bow shall appear in the clouds: And I will remember my covenant with you, and with every living soul that beareth flesh: and there shall no more be waters of a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the clouds, and I shall see it, and shall remember the everlasting covenant, that was made between God and every living soul of all flesh which is upon the earth” (Genesis 9:12-16).

The pitchers were almost immediately admonished by higher-ups. MLB chief communications officer Pat Courtney said in a statement, “The writing on the cap violates our rules, and consistent with normal practice, we have warned the players about future violations.”

Others, however, were quick to come to the defense of the players. Comedian Rob Schneider, a recent convert to Catholicism, blasted MLB leadership as “ANTI-CHRISTIAN,” and pledged to pay the fines for “any … Christian player who wears a Bible verse on their uniform.” Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Ryan Thompson also defended the Giants pitchers, saying, “I think there’s a perceived negativity with this stuff: Landen Roupp wrote a verse on his hat, that means he’s anti something. That doesn’t mean that. It means that he’s pro-something, so the rainbow means something to him. It means that he believes in the Noahic Covenant being something that’s special to us as Christians.”

Vice President J.D. Vance also responded to MLB’s criticism of the Giants pitchers, saying in a social media post, “Trump won we don’t have to do this anymore.” Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) went as far as to send MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred a formal letter, demanding “some answers. Right now.” Threatening the potential revocation of MLB’s unique exemption from antitrust laws, Hawley added, “The freedom to live out one’s faith does not end at the ballpark gate. Americans of every creed are entitled to confidence that the institutions of our national pastime will not single out religious expressions for punishment while celebrating messages of the league’s own choosing.”

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway (R) also wrote to Manfred, warning that she would launch an official investigation unless the league commits to not penalizing or disciplining players who reject the Pride Month messaging. “Forcing employees to espouse viewpoints that conflict with deeply held religious beliefs violates both federal and state law,” she wrote. “MLB’s actions are also just plain wrong. As America’s pastime, baseball should not discriminate against the political, moral, or religious beliefs of any player,” she continued. “By forcing players to espouse political or religious beliefs that they disagree with on pain of discipline, MLB is betraying a core tenet of American law and civic culture.”