Blab Sports
Giants Players Protest Pride Night Caps, Spark Controversy at Hi Tops Bar
On June 12, four San Francisco Giants pitchers staged a protest during the team’s annual Pride Night at Oracle Park. One pitcher declined to wear the rainbow‑colored Giants cap, while three others wrote the biblical passage Genesis 9:13‑15 on their hats. The verses, which reference God’s covenant with Noah, were displayed on the players’ headgear in front of a crowd that included patrons of the Castro‑area gay sports bar Hi Tops.
The protest drew a swift response from Major League Baseball. MLB officials warned the pitchers that the league’s policy prohibits the display of religious symbols on hats. The Giants, meanwhile, declined all media interview requests and issued a single statement that baseball is a place where everyone should feel welcomed.
Giants Pride Nights have been a fixture of the franchise since at least 1994. The event is intended to honor the LGBTQ community and has been held for more than two decades. Hi Tops, located on Market Street near the Castro, has operated as the city’s first dedicated gay sports bar since 2012 and features 16 flat‑screen televisions. On the Thursday before the protest, the bar was showing a Switzerland versus Bosnia‑Herzegovina World Cup match.
Patrons at Hi Tops expressed a range of reactions. Mark Weston, a regular with a degree in religious studies, said the verse “has nothing to do with the Catholic fight against homosexuality. It actually has to do with loving all of God’s creatures. They just used it because it talks about the rainbow.” He added that the Giants gave players the choice to wear the Pride caps but that defacing the cap “crossed a line into stupidity.”
Kevin Atkinson, who was wearing an Oakland A’s cap that day, said the players should know better. He added, “If you’re going to play in a city that has its own values and its own way, and you don’t want to be a part of that, then you should go play somewhere else.”
Todd Pickering, who was not in the ballpark on the day of the game, said he had not noticed the caps while attending the game and only heard about the controversy the next day. He described Pride Nights as a long‑standing protocol, noting that the Giants have held them for 26 years. He suggested that a more appropriate protest would have been to sit out the game.
The controversy came in the wake of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ recent memorial to former players Glenn Burke and Billy Bean, the first MLB players to openly identify as gay. The bar’s bartender declined to comment on the Giants’ actions.
The protest has drawn backlash from fans, media outlets, and MLB officials. The Giants’ single statement and the league’s warning have not quelled the anger among Hi Tops patrons, many of whom feel the players’ actions undermine the inclusive spirit of Pride Night. No further disciplinary action has been announced, and the Giants have not responded to additional media inquiries.
At present, the Giants’ protest of Pride Night caps remains unresolved. MLB has issued a warning to the players involved, and the team has reiterated its commitment to welcoming all fans. The next Giants home game will be played under the usual Pride Night protocol, and the bar’s patrons will likely continue to monitor the situation as the franchise moves forward.
The protest drew a swift response from Major League Baseball. MLB officials warned the pitchers that the league’s policy prohibits the display of religious symbols on hats. The Giants, meanwhile, declined all media interview requests and issued a single statement that baseball is a place where everyone should feel welcomed.
Giants Pride Nights have been a fixture of the franchise since at least 1994. The event is intended to honor the LGBTQ community and has been held for more than two decades. Hi Tops, located on Market Street near the Castro, has operated as the city’s first dedicated gay sports bar since 2012 and features 16 flat‑screen televisions. On the Thursday before the protest, the bar was showing a Switzerland versus Bosnia‑Herzegovina World Cup match.
Patrons at Hi Tops expressed a range of reactions. Mark Weston, a regular with a degree in religious studies, said the verse “has nothing to do with the Catholic fight against homosexuality. It actually has to do with loving all of God’s creatures. They just used it because it talks about the rainbow.” He added that the Giants gave players the choice to wear the Pride caps but that defacing the cap “crossed a line into stupidity.”
Kevin Atkinson, who was wearing an Oakland A’s cap that day, said the players should know better. He added, “If you’re going to play in a city that has its own values and its own way, and you don’t want to be a part of that, then you should go play somewhere else.”
Todd Pickering, who was not in the ballpark on the day of the game, said he had not noticed the caps while attending the game and only heard about the controversy the next day. He described Pride Nights as a long‑standing protocol, noting that the Giants have held them for 26 years. He suggested that a more appropriate protest would have been to sit out the game.
The controversy came in the wake of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ recent memorial to former players Glenn Burke and Billy Bean, the first MLB players to openly identify as gay. The bar’s bartender declined to comment on the Giants’ actions.
The protest has drawn backlash from fans, media outlets, and MLB officials. The Giants’ single statement and the league’s warning have not quelled the anger among Hi Tops patrons, many of whom feel the players’ actions undermine the inclusive spirit of Pride Night. No further disciplinary action has been announced, and the Giants have not responded to additional media inquiries.
At present, the Giants’ protest of Pride Night caps remains unresolved. MLB has issued a warning to the players involved, and the team has reiterated its commitment to welcoming all fans. The next Giants home game will be played under the usual Pride Night protocol, and the bar’s patrons will likely continue to monitor the situation as the franchise moves forward.
