Baseball Is for Everyone: Part 2

Back in January, I wrote a story about baseball being everyone's sport. In other words, America's pastime should be enjoyed by all fans, not just for a select few. My previous story on this topic was one of the Top Stories for that month, which I was very honored. I discussed the origins of Pride Night not only in Major League Baseball, but in other sports leagues. On top of that, I went in on those who were highly opposed to these events. I'll have a link to the original story down below. In this story, I'll be talking about online baseball communities and baseball content creators.

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I've been part of the online baseball community and following some baseball pages for nearly two years. While some of those baseball communities and pages are positive and welcoming, others are not so friendly. For example, I've recently unfollowed and blocked a baseball content creator/community that I've been part of since November 2023. I'm a die-hard Texas Rangers fan and I thought that this content creator and community was warm, friendly, and treated me like family. It was called Rangers Nation, and it had over 100,000 followers on Instagram. Their posts were something that I always looked forward to almost daily. However, in the last few months, I was the subject to racist and homophobic remarks from other members for no reason, other than the fact that I was black and gay. This happened to me on two separate occasions, only because I left a routine comment on a post (which I would normally do, regardless of if I agreed or disagreed on the topic) that was neither hostile, nor threatening. So, I contacted the person in charge of the page and told them what was happening to me. You know what their response was? They told me to just block that person, and they couldn't control what people say. While that wasn't bad advice, it was a tone-deaf response. It was their way of saying, "I'm sorry that you're dealing with this, but you need to get over it." Instead of them asking me what they can do to resolve the problem, they acted like my situation wasn't a big deal. So, several weeks had passed since those incidents, but I couldn't let the issue go. Since that page showed absolutely no concern with what I was going through, I had no choice but to put them on blast on Instagram. They refused to take my situation seriously, so that was why I chose this route. One of the things that I don't like about these baseball content creators is that they downplay bullying and harassment that someone is going through. It makes me mad and irks me so much. Sure, I could've messaged them directly, but I was so enraged at their response the first time that I had to call them out. I received a response from them, and they apologized, and they said once again that they couldn't control everyone's words. I strongly told the person in charge of that page that I like some of the people in the community, but not the random verbal attacks made towards me.

We can't control what people say on the internet and that part is true. However, as baseball content creators, they have a responsibility to ensure that everyone in their online communities feels not only safe, but also welcome. Like I said, I think that some of these baseball pages and content creators are great. I'm only talking about the ones with inflated egos and are more concerned about receiving likes and follows than ensuring a safe and welcoming space for all baseball fans. I made the brave decision to unfollow and block Rangers Nation on both Instagram and Facebook. I felt like a punching bag to hostile members, because of who I was. I felt like this move was necessary to me in order to protect my mental well-being. I don't want to be part of a community where I didn't feel valued, accepted, or welcomed. No one should be treated horribly in that manner, regardless of race or sexual orientation. Regardless of whatever team a fan supports, no one should be subjected to abusive behavior. In the case of Rangers Nation, I felt like they were excusing homophobia and racism, but doing nothing to address the problem. It only makes it harder for people like me to exist in spaces like these. If you're a baseball content creator and you don't provide a safe and welcoming community for everyone, then you're just as guilty as the person who's engaging in this kind of toxic behavior. I've been a creator on Vocal for several years and I have to be responsible for the things that I say. I also make sure that my space is a welcoming one for everyone, including my subscribers. I 100% condemn hate and discrimination in all forms.

Now that the 2025 MLB regular season is underway, this sport is for everyone to enjoy. It shouldn't be gatekept or reserved for certain people. We're fans of baseball and our favorite teams like everyone else.

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