MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred says teams should have option to have Pride Night instead of league-wide event

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With June being Pride Month, which celebrates the LGBTQ+ community, many MLB teams have set up their own Pride Night at their respective ballparks in observance.

That led MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to answer a question about having a league-wide Pride Night in the future.

Manfred says leaving it up to the teams is MLB’s best practice.

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MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks to the media prior to a game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the San Francisco Giants at American Family Field  in Milwaukee on May 25, 2023. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

"We have told teams, in terms of actual uniforms, hats, bases, that we don’t think putting logos on them is a good idea just because of the desire to protect players, not putting them in a position of doing something that may make them uncomfortable because of their personal views," he told The Washington Post.

Manfred added that it is a "local decision," saying that every team knows their market well enough to either have a Pride Night or not.

DODGERS RE-INVITE ANTI-CATHOLIC GROUP TO PRIDE NIGHT AMID UPROAR

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ event will occur on Friday, and it has had tons of controversy surrounding it after their re-invitation to satirical protest group Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. 

The group is known for is anti-Catholic public showings, and Dodgers pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Blake Treinen have spoken out, as have others around the league, like Washington Nationals pitcher Trevor Williams.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, New York, on July 24, 2022. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Several teams around the league have had their Pride Night at the ballpark, like the Nationals, while teams like the New York Mets await their own.

Many big leaguers, including Seattle Mariners young star Julio Rodriguez and Chicago Cubs starter Marcus Stroman, have shown love for everyone by acknowledging and celebrating Pride Month on social media.

At the same time, Toronto Blue Jays reliever Anthony Bass was public about his support of anti-LGBTQ+ boycotts of Target and Bud Light, though he apologized later on his Instagram Stories.

Nonetheless, the Blue Jays cut him last week.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks during a news conference in New York on March 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews/File)

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Every professional sports league, whether it conducts play during Pride Month or not, has its own events to celebrate LGBTQ+ inclusivity. But there are also those that oppose what comes with the events, e.g., rainbow-colored accessories like hockey sticks and jerseys in the NHL.