The Athletic, Which Just Had Another Round Of Layoffs, Is Mad That Only 29 Of 30 MLB Teams Host 'Pride Night'

Oh, "Pride Night." That concept has caused headaches for seemingly every professional sports franchise, one way or the other. All of their own doing, of course. For Major League Baseball, 29 of 30 MLB teams host some form of "Pride Night." The Texas Rangers, however, do not. And The Athletic isn't happy about that.

See, that's how this works.

"Fully comply with our demands, or else!" the angry people type from their keyboards in corporate media buildings across the United States.

Back when gay marriage was a hot-button topic in the US, a common point put forth by members of the gay community was "Why do you care if I get married? How does it affect you?"

Which, quite honestly, it doesn't. And I don't care.

But, at some juncture, that central point has changed. Big time. It's no longer about just "not caring" or "leaving them alone." It's now: "You must celebrate my sexual proclivities, or you're a bigot."

Which is really strange, by the way.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of 29 MLB teams who host a "Pride Night" but The Athletic is mad at the Texas Rangers, the only team that doesn't. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

That's the issue that many people on the left don't seem to understand. It's about this insane desire to flaunt sexuality around in public society. Where there are children. Who shouldn't be forced into exposure if their parents don't deem them prepared for that.

With that backdrop, we turn to this piece in The Athletic by Brittany Ghiroli, who apparently didn't get laid off by the company like many of her colleagues.

It's titled, "The Texas Rangers are MLB’s only team without a Pride Night. That’s unlikely to change."

OK, so far that's simply factually accurate. Maybe the article is simply a report. You know, like a reporter just reporting the news.

Here's the first paragraph: "This year, the Texas Rangers will have theme nights like Choctaw Casinos & Resorts Night – where fans who purchase a special ticket get a 'reimagined' Corey Seager jersey – and Harry Potter night.

The Athletic posted an over 2,000-word article on the Texas Rangers because they're the only MLB team without a "Pride Night" hosted a Globe Life Field. (Photo by Jim Cowsert/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

"They’ll have community nights, billed as 'a chance to experience Globe Life Field with others who share a common interest,' such as this past Friday’s Abilene Christian University night or Saturday’s Vegan Day."

OK, so far we're still just reporting facts. Though, there's a pretty clear tone here. Still, at least it's just factually accurate.

"They will not, as 29 other teams in Major League Baseball do, host a Pride Night," the article continues.

“'It’s ironic because we just played the Rays on their and the whole message was ‘Baseball is for Everyone,’” said one current Rangers employee. 'But not if you’re a Texas Rangers fan.'"

Ah, OK here we go. So The Athletic article dives right into a quote from someone who is mad that the Rangers don't host a Pride Night.

Let me take a quick moment to ask this: do you notice the difference between all the nights the Rangers are having and Pride Night? Harry Potter Night, Vegan Night, Abilene Christian Night ... hmm ... NONE OF THOSE HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH SEX.

Why is it so hard to grasp that concept? Most people don't want sex shoved in their faces in places designed for families, like baseball parks.

Young Texas Rangers fans wait for their turn to hopefully get a baseball after the Rangers win a game against the Detroit Tigers at Globe Life Field. (Photo by Emil Lippe/Getty Images)

And let's break down the "Baseball is for everyone but not if you're a Texas Rangers fan" comment.

Do they have an "Anti-gay Night?" Do they ask you when you buy a ticket to a Texas Rangers game if you're gay? And if you say "yes," do they refuse to sell you the ticket?

The answer, of course, is no. Which means no one is saying gay fans of the Texas Rangers aren't welcome. They just choose not to celebrate you.

Which is fine. You know why? Because they don't celebrate me either. I looked on the Texas Rangers promotional schedule and I didn't see a night for straight, male, half-Polish, quarter-Italian, quarter-German fans.

Does that mean I'm not welcome in their ballpark? Of course not.

But let's keep going.

I'm not going to go through the entire article from The Athletic because it's mostly just quotes from Rangers employees and former employees who are upset. They also speak to "LGBTQ+ advocacy groups" and other people who agree with the author.

I did not see one quote from a Texas Rangers employee, fan or otherwise providing the opposing side of the argument.

Texas Rangers grounds crew prepare the field for an MLB game against the Chicago Cubs at Globe Life Park in Arlington. (Photo by Rick Yeatts/Getty Images)

But one line stood out to me, in particular: "Another former employee who worked on the fan experience side of things said she knew people there who were part of the LGBTQ+ community who didn’t feel comfortable speaking about their orientation at work."

WHY ARE PEOPLE SO DESPERATE TO TALK ABOUT THEIR PERSONAL AND SEX LIVES AT WORK?! It's called WORK. You go there to WORK. Do your job, collect your paycheck and go home.

This whole idea of "I can't openly talk about my personal life at work" is a bizarre new trend that I just don't understand.

There are plenty of things in my life that I don't share with my co-workers. That's why I have friends.

This quote from The Athletic article also jumped out to me: "'Why are we allowing this culture of hate?' asked the Rangers employee who is part of the LGBTQ+ community."

Again, there is no "Anti-gay" night at Globe Life Field. It's not "hateful" to not celebrate something.

And, as the article helpfully points out: 29 of 30 MLB teams host a Pride Night.

That's 97% of Major League Baseball. But it's not enough.

It's never going to be enough.

That's the whole point.