A San Francisco lawmaker criticized Giants players for writing Bible verses on their cap during the organization’s Pride Night as MLB warned the team about the messages on Monday.
Matt Dorsey, a Democrat who represents District 6 and sits on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, wrote on social media the event was "disappointing in several respects." He authored a lengthy thread on X about the ordeal.
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"First, as a sports fan, it struck me as problematically undisciplined," he began. "When you’re a highly paid professional athlete, your uniform isn’t a canvas for individual self-expression — especially about politics — and it has been my observation over the years that championship-caliber teams never tolerate distractions like this.
"Second, as a person of faith, I’ll be the first to defend Bible verses and prayer as sources of inspiration and strength for many athletes — I have no problem with that. But I am bothered to see Biblical cherry-picking used to score political points, on a single occasion, and it’s hard to argue this was anything other than that."
Dorsey added that, as a gay man, he was "disappointed" that a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community was still seen as "controversial."
"Major cities with major-league sports teams are inherently diverse, and if you’re uncomfortable celebrating the wide array of heritage and pride nights for communities that make up the city on your uniform, maybe the major leagues aren’t for you."
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Still, Dorsey didn’t think the players who wrote the Bible verses on their Pride Night cap were "bigoted."
"All that being said, I refuse to call what these athletes did bigoted or hateful — and I would urge all those offended or hurt by this episode to show them grace. The LGBTQ+ equality movement succeeds when we commit to winning hearts and minds, rather than shaming them," he added.
MLB warned Giants players about the Bible verses.
"The writing on the cap violates our rules, and consistent with normal practice, we have warned the players about future violations," MLB’s chief communications officer Pat Courtney said in a statement, via The Athletic.
San Francisco pitcher Landen Roupp wrote "Gen 9:12-16" on his cap over the weekend and was asked about the decision.
"It's just about God's covenant and a promise that he makes to us that, you know, his faithfulness and his mercy," Roupp said to reporters. "That's just kind of something I believe in, and I stand firm in that, and I'm thankful we live in a country where, you know, we have the freedom to believe what we want ... and express what we want.
"There's no hate at all. It’s just what I stand for, and what I stand in. I believe in God."
Giants manager Tony Vitello also seemed to brush off the issue.
"Not really. I mean, just kind of a general knowledge of the individuals have the freedom to do what they think is best," Vitello said. "But I do think it’s been apparent from day one, actually, even some of the exhibition games, it’s pretty impressive how the Giants, as an organization, try and embrace the entire community."
Fox News’ Ian Miller contributed to this report.