Reasons Why a Gay Man Loves Baseball

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.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, it's time that I'd share some of the reasons why I love baseball so much, as opposed to other sports.

1. Baseball fashion

A few months after the Rangers won their first World Series title in 2023, I bought my first baseball jersey. Despite being a Rangers fan for nearly 25 years, I never owned one. It was a Max Scherzer jersey and I loved it. Also, it had the World Series Champions patch on the right sleeve. I also have a gold trimmed Corey Seager jersey, which has a World Series Champions patch on the left sleeve. Spring Training is a few weeks away and Opening Day in March will be here before you know it. I buy a majority of the hats, jerseys, and shirts that I wear from MLB Shop. You can never have too many of these items.

2. Opening Day

Opening Day is like the first day of school for us baseball fans. It's the official start of the regular season. You're excited to see your favorite players and teams return on the field. Fans have been calling for Opening Day to be a national holiday for years. Hopefully we'll get our wish in the future. Only time will tell.

3. Extra Inning Games and Walk-Off Wins

If you happen to sit through all nine innings, congratulations. You're hoping that your team finally wins a game. Games are now a bit shorter, compared to several years ago when it was at times, three hours long or more than that, which was the biggest complaint from fans. Now picture this: it's the 10th inning, a man on third, and two outs. Your favorite team is down to their final out and final strike. All of a sudden, your favorite player hits a walk-off RBI single and the other teammates wait for the player to reach home plate to be mobbed, in a good way.

4. Postseason Baseball

October marks the start of the Postseason. The Wild Card round starts first (Best of 3), followed by the League Division Series (Best of 5), the League Championship Series (Best of 7), and finally the ultimate test for the remaining American and National League teams: the World Series. The World Series, also known as the Fall Classic, dates back to 1903. It's a seven-game series and the team who reaches four wins receives the Commissioner's Trophy. The Postseason is a time where you get to witness history being made, jaw-dropping plays, and more. Sure, this event isn't as huge as the Super Bowl, but it brings fans together. I recorded a reaction video the night the Rangers won the World Series and I couldn't contain my excitement. I still have that video on my Instagram page. It's worth the watch. Also, watch some videos on YouTube of fans reacting to their own teams winning a World Series title.

There's no denying that homophobia exists in online baseball communities. I've experienced this on a few occasions, and it mostly comes from bigoted male fans. Unfortunately, I've been a victim of hateful and bigoted remarks, but I always tell myself that it's okay to stand up for yourself. You don't have to take that kind of disrespect and abuse lying down. A person can't be a baseball fan and be prejudiced towards a group of people that they don't personally know. Their perception of people like me is a reflection of them. I believe that admins online of baseball community pages have a responsibility to make sure that everyone feels included, welcomed, and safe. If they're not going to do anything to ensure the safety of all their followers online, then I'll be the one to spread awareness on LGBTQ+ baseball fans being harassed and bullied and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. We're die-hard fans just like everyone else. If you have a problem with us just simply existing and being fans of our favorite teams, then that's a you problem and need to check your own personal biases.

What are some of the reasons you love baseball as a LGBTQ+ fan? Also, did you experience any form of hate online for being an out and proud baseball fan? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to subscribe to my page. Follow me on my socials. Finally, if you loved this story, please kindly send me a one-off tip at the bottom of this page. It's a way to support creators on Vocal like me to publish more stories and share them with everyone.

https://shopping-feedback.today/humans/addressing-homophobia-in-the-baseball-community%3C/a%3E

https://shopping-feedback.today/pride/a-message-to-clayton-kershaw