The Pride Problem
Michael Jordan said "Republicans buy sneakers too". And the Orioles seem to forget that Christian buy most of their tickets...
The Orioles released their 2024 Promotion schedule yesterday, once again, they have made Pride Night a thing. Except instead of just making everything rainbow-colored, they are giving this garish jersey to the first 10,000 fans 15 years or older.
Last year was bad enough…
Last year I said that the game's production was absurd, overboard, and over the top.
But this year, everybody over the age of 15 (including minors ages 15, 16, and 17 years old) will be given a pride jersey whether they want it or not.
This year’s game was scheduled against the Texas Rangers. That was no accident since the Rangers were the only team in baseball not to get into the fakakta pride nonsense last year. They where also the only team to win the World Series….
To paraphrase something I wrote last year, when do we get to have a Catholic Night at the Ballpark, with the Cross everywhere, Catholic Charities all over the broadcast, Catholic Banners on the Warehouse, and 10,000 Catholic-themed Orioles jerseys given out to the first 10,000 fans 15 years of age or older.
I am going to imagine that if my Catholic beliefs were forced down everybody’s throats the way that Pride is forced down everybody’s throats that there would be protests from here until Christmas.
As I wrote last year about Pride Night specifically and Pride Month generally:
The Bolsheviks were the minority group within the far-left of the Russian socialist spectrum. However, they dubbed themselves the “Bolsheviks” and dubbed their opponents "Mensheviks” to control the narrative.
You can see something similar happening in the Pride Movement though on a grander scale. For it is not a small splinter party determining which side is which. It is an entire political party led by certain elements within corporate governance.
Call it Rainbowwashing. Every company, every organization, and every politician changes their logo to something rainbow themed for the month to pander to a small minority of the people: the entire rainbow initialism crowd accounts for a whopping 7.2% of the American population.
Look, I know my religion acknowledges that homosexual relations are a sin. My common sense knows that somebody who thinks they are a different gender is wrong. But my religion and common sense also teach me that members of the LGBTQ+ community are all God’s Children. Truly hate the sin, but truly love the sinner.
Nor do I care if there is a Pride Month any more than I care that there is a National Mentoring Month, National Athletic Training Month, Community College Awareness Month, Fresh Florida Tomato Month, National Burger Month, National Dairy Month, National Hot Dog Month, National Win with Civility Month, National Prostate Health Month, World Menopause Month, National Pomegranate Month, or National Pear Month.
But what I do care about is the way that governments and corporate entities shove a political agenda down my throat, pretend that it has a majority of support across the country, and strongly imply that those who aren’t fully in lockstep with the Newspeak of the age are a problem to be dealt with. That is how we get serious societal problems and this is how we as a country wind up with the divisive politics with which we are plagued.
It also makes me wonder how much longer the Orioles are going to keep this up. How much longer will they taunt fans like myself? How much longer are they going to thumb their nose at the majority of us who don’t share their bombastic support for the Pride Movement?
Some of us are too far gone. Some of us are so deep into our Orioles fandom that no matter how much they abuse us and insult our beliefs, we will always be fans. Yes, I’m one of them. But the next generation of fans may not be so forgiving.
When Michael Jordan was asked why he didn’t wade into politics and activism, he famously said “Republicans buy sneakers, too". Well, Christians buy most of the Orioles tickets around here and most of the Orioles players are themselves Christians generally and Catholic specifically. How much more is Orioles ownership going to pile on?
Look, I’m not suggesting that the Orioles should take my side. I just don’t want them to take any side when it comes to hot-button political and social issues like this. Baseball and sports should unite us. This nonsense instead divides us.
I try to go to Orioles games as much as I can. But I’m busy June 27th….