York Revolution forfeit Pride Night game after jersey refusals

The York Revolution forfeited a scheduled Pride Night baseball game Thursday after several players refused to wear uniforms with rainbow sleeves, team officials said, turning the evening at WellSpan Park from a game into a Pride-focused community event.

The Pennsylvania club had planned to wear the special jerseys during its game against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs as part of the team’s 11th annual Pride Night. Instead, the Revolution canceled the game and accepted a forfeit, saying the celebration would continue without forcing players to wear uniforms they opposed.

“This decision was not reached lightly,” the team said in a statement.

“Unfortunately, several of our players have refused to wear the scheduled Pride Night jersey and the club decided that hosting the event is more important than forcing players to wear jerseys they are not comfortable with and playing the game,” the statement said.

“As a result, and out of respect for the Pride Community and the York community as a whole, the York Revolution has decided that the game on Thursday, June 18 will be forfeited and that Pride Night will continue on as the feature element of the evening at WellSpan Park.”

The Revolution said other Pride Night events went ahead. The Guardian reported the team made the evening “a free and fun celebration of recognition and inclusion.” NBC News reported the club donated $10,000 to a local gay community center.

Team officials also criticized the players’ refusal, saying it conflicted with the organization’s stated identity.

“To be clear; this action by the players is completely inconsistent with our vision as the Most Welcoming Place in York,” the team said.

The Revolution and the Blue Crabs play in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent professional league whose teams are not affiliated with Major League Baseball clubs.

The forfeit came less than a week after a separate Pride Night dispute involving the San Francisco Giants. NBC News reported that four Giants players staged a silent protest against that team’s Pride Night celebration by writing Bible references on their hats. The Guardian reported that during Friday’s game against the Chicago Cubs, Giants pitchers Landen Roupp and JT Brubaker wrote Bible verses on their Pride caps, while another Giants pitcher, Sam Hentges, chose not to wear the cap at all.

After the Giants incident, Major League Baseball warned players not to deface uniforms, NBC News reported. The Guardian said MLB issued a statement this week critical of players who wrote Bible verses on their Pride Night hats.

The York team said its choice to forfeit was made so Pride Night could remain the central focus of the evening, even without the game being played.