Colorado Baseball Team Cancels Family Night Event With Pro-Life Groups

The Rocky Mountain Vibes, an Independent League baseball team in Colorado Springs, cancelled their family night event Friday. The cancellation was the result of pro-life groups caving to pressure from a team sponsor that objected to their participation.

The Vibes scheduled their family night event several months ago, according to one of the organizations previously confirmed to appear at Friday night’s game.

A Vice President at Pikes Peak Citizens for Life, reportedly told Fox News that the team emailed the two groups just a few hours before the game. Within their email, they informed the groups that they would not be permitted to participate:

“We're very disappointed. We've been working on this several months. We're just very disappointed.”

She continued, "This is just a reflection of the culture we're in."

Pushing For Refunds

The other group, Save the Storks, revealed that the decision was made at the behest of UC Health, a hospital system that still requires masks to enter their facilities.

"We were delighted when the Rocky Mountain Vibes team came to us and asked if we could partner for Family Night. Now we are extremely disappointed and confused by this decision of the owners of the franchise and corporate owner of the UCHealth Park," Save the Storks president Diane Ferraro said in a statement. "UCHealth is a company that says they offer care for women and families but is shutting down a night specifically intended for them."

Ferraro also announced that their promotion of the family night event had driven over 3,000 ticket sales. After the team cancelled, she recommended that anyone who bought in support of her organization ask for refunds and not attend the game:

"We are encouraging our supporters to request refunds for their tickets and not attend an event that no longer welcomes families."

For their part the team issued a statement in response:

"The Rocky Mountain Vibes today pulled out of a partnership with an organization that was scheduled to sponsor tonight’s Friday Night Fireworks show. While we value all our sponsors and ticket holders, they do not make decisions regarding the nature of our post-game entertainment, or groups that come out to our stadium to raise awareness for their causes. The Vibes made this decision after seeing the proposed assets from the partner in question because they felt that the partner would hinder the team’s mission in providing fun and affordable family entertainment. Any statement placing blame on any outside party for cancellation of tonight’s events is inaccurate. The Vibes made this decision internally and stand by their choice."

This statement is remarkable for several reasons, not the least of which is the offensive suggestion that pro-life groups would "hinder the team's mission in providing fun and affordable family entertainment."

What Are They Thinking?

How in the world can anyone justify claiming that pro-life groups are not part of "family entertainment?" Would Planned Parenthood displaying pro-abortion materials be considered "family entertainment?"

It's an absurd, nonsensical defense for cancelling on two organizations due to differing political viewpoints.

If the "assets" were so offensive, how did it take them until the morning of the event to make the decision?

It strains credulity to think that this is the result of anything other than pressure from a politicized hospital system, apparently committed to advancing liberal causes.

As with many other stories in recent months, this indefensible decision is most certainly is a reflection of the culture we're in.