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The York Revolution forfeited Thursday’s game against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs after several players declined to wear the team’s Pride Night uniforms, prompting the independent club to prioritize the event over playing the game.
The Atlantic League team had scheduled its 11th annual Pride Night celebration at WellSpan Park in York, Pennsylvania, featuring jerseys with rainbow-colored sleeves. However, team officials announced on game day that the contest would not be played.
“This decision was not reached lightly,” the Revolution 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.”
Not Enough Players Available To Take The Field
According to team president and general manager Ben Shipley, fewer than nine players on the 28-man roster were willing to wear the uniforms, leaving the Revolution unable to field the minimum number of players required.
Shipley said the issue surfaced earlier in the week and led to an unusual team meeting in an attempt to find a solution.
“I’m disappointed that we’re at this point, and I recognize the players’ plight and their unwillingness to cross their line,” Shipley said. “I was just asking for tolerance from the team, and they were unwilling to navigate that with me.”
The game officially went into the books as a forfeit.
Pride Night Celebration Continued
Despite the cancellation of the game, the York Revolution proceeded with the festivities, opening WellSpan Park free of charge and offering fans batting practice, music and on-field activities.
The team allowed ticket holders to exchange their tickets for another game, treating the canceled contest as a rainout.
The organization also announced a $10,000 donation to the Rainbow Rose Center, a local LGBTQ+ community organization.
“To be clear; this action by the players is completely inconsistent with our vision as the Most Welcoming Place in York,” the team said.
Similar Controversies Have Emerged In Baseball
The incident comes amid broader discussions surrounding Pride Month celebrations across baseball.
Last week, several members of the San Francisco Giants either modified their Pride-themed caps by writing Bible verses on them or declined to wear them altogether. Major League Baseball later informed players that altering the caps violated league policy, emphasizing that the issue involved modifying uniforms rather than the content of the messages.
Shipley revealed that seven Revolution players also declined to wear Pride jerseys during last year’s event, though the team still played the game and did not publicize the disagreement.
“We still played the game,” Shipley said. “We didn’t make a big fuss of it.”
The York Revolution and Southern Maryland Blue Crabs compete in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and operate independently of Major League Baseball.
The Revolution will resume their series against Southern Maryland on Friday.
