Vice President JD Vance and other Republicans have criticized Major League Baseball (MLB) for warning players against wearing Bible verses during Pride Night.
As Breitbart News reported, the MLB issued a warning to three San Francisco Giants pitchers after they displayed Bible verses on their hats during Pride Night. The incident occurred last Friday when Giants right-hander Landen Roupp displayed “Gen 9:12-16” on his Pride Night hat, which was followed by relievers JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker also featuring Bible verses on their official Pride Night hats.
“The writing on the cap violates our rules, and consistent with normal practice, we have warned the players about future violations,” Pat Courtney, MLB’s chief communications officer, told The Athletic on Monday.
Vice President JD Vance responded to a Sports Illustrated post on X reporting the reprimand.
“Trump won, we don’t have to do this anymore,” said Vance.
Likewise, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) sent a letter to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday, accusing the league of discriminating against players of Christian faith, per Forbes.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., sent a letter to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday afternoon, accusing the league of a “pattern of discrimination” against players who “profess their Christian faith,” demanding the MLB respond to questions about its policies on altering uniforms and religious expression.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier appeared to threaten legal action against the league in a post on X on Tuesday afternoon, saying, “Do you practice religious discrimination in Florida, @MLB? You’ll be hearing from my office soon.”
Though some critics have accused the MLB of discriminating against players who express religious beliefs, the league has said the warnings were issued because writing on caps is against league rules, and it has clarified the warnings have “nothing to do with the content of the message.”
When asked about the Bible passage, Roupp told reporters he stands firm in his belief about God’s covenant and promise of mercy to humanity.
“It’s just about God’s covenant and a promise that he makes to us that, you know, his faithfulness and his mercy,” Roupp said. “That’s just kind of something I believe in, and I stand firm in that, and I’m thankful we live in a country where, you know, we have the freedom to believe what we want … and express what we want.”
Giants’ manager Tony Vitello said he did not discuss the hats with his teammates beforehand.
“Not really. I mean, just kind of a general knowledge of the individuals have the freedom to do what they think is best,” Vitello said. “But I do think it’s been apparent from day one, actually, even some of the exhibition games, it’s pretty impressive how the Giants, as an organization, try and embrace the entire community.
“We don’t want to be divided, but you can divide it up into certain sections, if you know what I mean. And there’s a pretty good trade-off. I mean, obviously, the success hasn’t been what I want it to be, but even I feel it. The way they give back and embrace the team is different,” he continued. “The crowds are bigger in numbers. There’s a unique vibe to each night when there is a community recognized. So the back and forth there is good, and as always, even if our record was 20 games better than it was, you always want to give back more.”