Baseball Is for Everyone
America's past time is avaliable to all
I've received some positive reactions to a previous story I've recently written about the reasons why I, a gay man, loves baseball. I'll have a link to that story down below. I'm hyped up about Spring Training and the regular season.
As you can tell by the title of this story, I'll be sharing my thoughts about the reasons why representation in the MLB and baseball communities matters, plus other takes.
Many sports leagues and teams hold a Pride Night. The first known event took place in 2001 where the NHL's San Jose Sharks hosted the first "You Can Play" night. The first Pride Night in Major League Baseball started with the San Diego Padres back in 1994 with their "Until There's a Cure Day" to raise awareness and money during the AIDS epidemic. Last year during Pride Month, people were up in arms over MLB changing their profile picture to the one seen above and used for this story. I'll never understand why rainbow-like images are so offensive to many people. It's not that deep and it's all manufactured outrage.
As I've mentioned in previous stories, every MLB team, except for my beloved Texas Rangers, holds a Pride Night. One thing I'll give the Rangers a bit of credit for is that they support the LGBTQ+ community as platinum sponsors for the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance's Gay Softball World Series. I hope that the Rangers will eventually hold a Pride Night in the future. However, I still stand to the belief in one of my previous stories about homophobia in the baseball community was this: you can't be an owner of a MLB team, claiming to have events for everyone at your ballpark while excluding the LGBTQ+ community. Also, you can't be a fan of baseball and have prejudices towards people you have probably never met a day in your life. You can't have it both ways.
The game of baseball is for everyone and emphasis on the word "everyone." People from all walks of life can enjoy baseball and make memories that they'll remember forever. To the people who are against ballparks holding Pride Nights: How are ballparks doing this affecting your life? It shouldn't, because like I said, you can't be a baseball fan and a bigot. It just doesn't work that way. We're fans just like you are. You probably have deep-seated issues that you need to work on and reevaluate your own personal biases towards people like us.
"Being gay is a sin." "God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve." Yada, Yada, Yada. We've heard them all before like a million times and we don't care. You've pulled those out of your anti-gay playbook. If you have a problem with us existing and living our lives, then that's a you problem. Please save your Savior complex for someone else, because hate is neither holy or godly. If you deeply dislike a certain group of people for no reason and claim you're religious, then you come off as a hypocrite and don't actually practice what you preach. I'll share another example of hypocrisy in a bit. You can believe in whatever higher power you want without disparaging and dehumanizing other individuals. Plus, denying someone's existence only makes them feel less than who they are.
It's not a good idea to continuously search for problems that aren't there and when they aren't any. Someone who's living their best lives and not harming anyone is not a reason to be self-centered. If you're so happy with your own life, then why do you care about what others are doing? MLB teams holding a Pride Night during Pride Month is not a personal attack towards you. It's neither offensive or oppressive. No one is forcing anything or anyone on you, so I'm going to squash this ongoing and tiresome narrative in this story right now. Ballparks have promotions and events for everyone to enjoy. They can hold Pride Night as they please. LGBTQ+ people exist, especially in the baseball community, online and offline. I shouldn't have to say this towards people who are so close-minded. Last time I checked, this is 2025 and not 1975. LGBTQ+ individuals have been around since the dawn of time. We plan on being here for a long time. Easily getting in your feelings over Pride Month and Pride-related events at ballparks and everywhere else is just you refusing to keep up with the times. Either you can be an ally to us or let us and others be. Finally, leave people alone. All of this fake outrage and rule enforcing on who gets to be a baseball fan is unnecessary and ridiculous. Please get over yourself and let people be.
This story is dedicated in the memory of Billy Bean. If you aren't familiar with who he was, he was one of two former players who came out as gay after his playing career concluded in 1999, with the other being Glenn Burke. Sadly, Bean left us in the summer of 2024 at the age of 60 after a year-long battle with leukemia. He played for three different MLB teams in eight seasons, including the Los Angeles Dodgers as an outfielder. Following his career, he was first named Senior Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and a Special Assistant to the Commissioner before being promoted to MLB's Senior VP for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion and Special Assistant to the Commissioner in 2014. Bean focused heavily on LGBTQ Inclusion, social justice initiatives, and player education, working with all teams to advance equality for all players and employees. Bean leaves behind his husband, Greg Baker. Billy Bean should serve as a inspiration to everyone. As of 2025, there hasn't been an openly gay MLB player...yet. I hope one day it'll become a reality and hopefully to see what skills they have to make it to the big leagues. What I find hypocritical is that the Dodgers are planning to honor one of their own legendary players who also passed away in 2024, Fernando Valenzuela, for the entire upcoming regular season. However, they didn't announce any plans to honor Billy Bean. I believe that both men should be honored equally and keeping their memories alive. When a player passes away, players of their respective teams wear patches of either their names and/or jersey numbers on their jerseys. Hopefully the Dodgers will find a way to honor Billy Bean with the respect and recognition he deserves.
Rest easy, Billy Bean. Thank you for becoming a trailblazer for the rights of LGBTQ+ people.
About the Creator
Mark Wesley Pritchard
You can call me Wesley. Former cosplayer, retro gaming fanatic, die-hard Texas Rangers fan, and nostalgic freak. Need I say more?
Threads: @misterwesleysworld
Instagram: @misterwesleysworld
Keep reading
More stories from Mark Wesley Pritchard and writers in Pride and other communities.
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A gay man who loves baseball? No way! Yes, it's true. There are gay people who love America's past time. Don't believe me? Search #gaybaseballfan and you'll see a plethora of photos of people like me showing love for our respective teams. Not only that, but they're fans of their respective teams. 29 out of the 30 MLB teams celebrate Pride Night at their ballparks. The only one who has yet to do this is my beloved Texas Rangers. I've talked about them being homophobic and not having a Pride Night in a story last year, which I'll link down below. More recently, I had to call out Los Angeles Dodgers player Clayton Kershaw for bigoted and homophobic comments he made in an interview back in 2023. I didn't hold back in putting him in his place. I'll also have a link to that story down below. Let's just say that I let him know about myself and why I'll never look at him the same way again.
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Comments (6)
Congrats on top story…
My son always watched baseball, and his brother still does. I coached their little league team but I don't watch it much anymore. Great story - Well Done!!
The history of Pride Nights in baseball is fascinating, especially the part about the San Diego Padres' 'Until There's a Cure Day' in 1994. How did you discover these historical details? Your dedication to highlighting the importance of inclusivity in sports is truly inspiring. Keep up the great work!
Very cool. I was a baseball fan until Jeter retired. Then I wasn't watching it or going to local games. I just started getting back into it last season.
So great to learn more about Baseball and its inclusivity (or lack of!) and about Billy Bean and his work. Also I think this quote is so important, "Either you can be an ally to us or let us and others be." Like look, not everyone is going to support you, but if you don't want to support someone then just leave them alone. Don't make life difficult!!
Baseball is for everyone! Great work!