Every baseball team in MLB celebrates Pride Month in June in their own way except one squad.
The Texas Rangers last had Pride Night at their home ballpark in 2003, and it received so much backlash they haven’t had it since.
That night in 2003 wasn’t an advertised event like many others across MLB. Several LGBTQ+ groups were invited to the stadium and honored, and protest came quickly.
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A Texas Rangers batting helmet rests in the netting during the New York Yankees game on Oct. 5, 2022, at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. (Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Rangers COO Neil Leibman spoke to The Dallas Morning News in 2020, pointing out changes made to the organization that he believes go further than simply having a Pride Night.
“With respect to Pride Night, we reached out to the Resource Center and said, ‘What can we do internally?’ We immediately adopted some changes they suggested to be more inclusive in hiring practices. I think that’s more meaningful than just saying, ‘OK, we had a Pride Night,’” he said.
The Los Angeles Times also requested a statement from the Rangers regarding their lack of Pride Night.
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“Our commitment is to make everyone feel welcome and included in Rangers baseball. That means in our ballpark, at every game, and in all we do – for both our fans and our employees. We deliver on that promise across our many programs to have a positive impact across our entire community,” the team responded.
The Rangers made sure to add that they do help support the LGBTQ+ community in various ways, including sponsorship of the NAGAAA Gay Softball World Series last year as well as the “development of an inclusion and community impact council.” They also worked with the Resource Center in Dallas as well as the Pegasus Slow-Pitch Softball Association.
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