Mark Teixeira, a Texas congressional candidate and ex-star for the New York Yankees, is throwing criticism at MLB for how they dealt with a Pride Night fiasco, branding their handling as a “total disaster” that targeted in on silencing athletes of Christian faith.
Talking on the “Fox News Rundown” podcast, Teixeira made the argument that sports shouldn’t mix with politics. (RELATED: Dysfunction Continues For Mets After Routine Play Turns Into Complete Clown Show)
“We live in a Christian culture where people are trying to silence us,” said Teixeira to Jacqui Heinrich of Fox News. “And we’re not [going to] let the San Francisco Giants or any outside group, silence our faith.”
James 1:17
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
— Mark Teixeira (@teixeiramark25) June 28, 2026
It’s argued by Teixeira that making it required for players to sport Pride Night hats forces them to show support for something they don’t have belief in, labeling everything as a “PR disaster.”
“Yep, total disaster, PR disaster for the league, PR disaster for The Giants. You know, these players were just expressing their Christianity. They were forced to do something that they didn’t want to do,” said Teixeira.
“I played in the major leagues for 14 years. We play 162 games a year, we don’t have these conversations. We don’t take political stances. It’s a hard job playing baseball and bringing something like a pride night and forcing players to wear a cap. Whether that was the rule or not, that’s what it looked like.”