With June in full swing, Major League Baseball (MLB) wasted no time showing their unabashed support of the Pride movement and organizations who push the LGBTQ ideology. Players who have conveyed differing beliefs from their team have ultimately faced consequences, including Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass, despite his efforts to acquiesce to the “woke LGBT mob.”

Almost two weeks ago, Bass reposted a video on his Instagram account that originated from Ryan Miller — a Christian influencer — calling on believers to join the Target and Bud Light boycott. Although he didn’t offer any additional comments, Bass’s decision to repost the video was clear enough.

While most headlines describe the video as “anti-LGBTQ,” Miller instead framed the boycott as a way to expose the “darkness that [Target and Bud Light] are purveying” and “shoving into children’s faces.” He used Ephesians 5 to support his point.

“To take part in that is to give them your money, and, I believe, the Bible gives us radical precedent to say ‘no,’” Miller concluded. “We are running from that and instead expos[ing] those things.”

After receiving a considerable amount of backlash for his repost, the MLB pitcher deleted his Instagram story and issued an apology the following day.

“I recognize yesterday that I made a post that was hurtful to the Pride community, which includes friends of mine and close family members of mine, and I am truly sorry for that,” he told the media. “I just spoke with my teammates and shared with them my actions yesterday. I apologized with them and, as of right now, I am using the Blue Jays’ resources to better educate myself to make better decisions moving forward.”

Wanting to keep the firestorm at a minimum, the Blue Jays also issued a statement saying, “individual player sentiments are not representative of the club’s beliefs.” They added that they “bring millions of fans together across Canada” and continue to stay “committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming experience for all.”

Although the number of people who have chosen to boycott Target and Bud Light for displaying Pride gear continues to climb, it seems as though the majority of Toronto Blue Jay fans are not following suit. When Bass took the field two days later after reposting the video and then apologizing, the stadium roared with intermittent boos.

This public response led to a more drastic consequence for Bass, despite his effort to, “learn about the LGBTQ+ community in Toronto” by meeting with Pride Toronto’s executive director Sherwin Modeste. The Blue Jays placed him on designated assignment, meaning he was cut from the 40-man roster. As NRO’s Rich Lowry pointed out, “Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said his performance was the major factor in his axing, but ‘the distraction’ of his comments played a role. Translation: ‘Yeah, we cut the guy because he’s not with the LGBT program.’”

Bass made it clear that he engaged in the rather long process of apologizing and trying to learn more about the LGBTQ community, but his efforts proved futile as he was still booted from his spot. 

“The demand on Bass wasn’t that he say bland and nice things,” Lowry explained, “but that he repudiate part of his belief system as a Christian.” Turns out, there is “no mercy for a relief pitcher who wouldn’t grovel enough.”

While only a few players from MLB have taken a stand against the league’s political agenda, National Hockey League (NHL) athletes have proven to be a different breed. Before the post-season, six teams took a stand against the push to wear Pride gear during their games.

“This isn’t a movement driven by political fear but personal conviction — which, frankly, is far more dangerous to the league’s woke agenda than anything else,” wrote Suzanne Bowdey, editorial director and senior writer for The Washington Stand.

Unlike MLB, who punishes players for expressing their beliefs, the NHL has been pushed to the point of reconsidering its Pride traditions, because of athletes who stood strong in their convictions and refused to mold to the political agenda of their employers. That, experts say, is how you win the battle for the First Amendment.