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Giants broadcaster calls out team’s own pitchers for Pride Night hats
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- Giants broadcaster calls out team’s own pitchers for Pride Night hats
Giants broadcaster calls out team’s own pitchers for Pride Night hats
Three San Francisco Giants pitchers stirred controversy June 12 when they wrote a Bible verse on their hats prior to their pitching appearances against the Chicago Cubs. A fourth, Sam Hentges, did not wear the same hat as his teammates.
All of this was notable for one reason: the Giants' rainbow-colored hats were issued on Pride Night. The team-sanctioned celebration of the LGBTQ+ community turned into an occasion for four pitchers to raise their objections.
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"I don't morally support it," Hentges said the next day. "There wasn't any hatred behind it. It's just something I feel like I was forced to support when I don't morally support it."
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MLB said any visible writing on a hat violates its rules, while the Giants released a statement supporting the decision of individual players to "make personal choices about participating in team activations."
"We understand that the choices by individual players have caused pain and anger to many in the LGBTQ+ community and we are sorry for that," the statement continued. "Those choices do not change our organization's commitment to inclusion, belonging, and creating a welcoming environment for all."
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The awkward attempt to straddle opposing viewpoints was far less complicated for one interested observer: Mike Krukow.
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Krukow has spent more than three decades as a Giants broadcaster since his final season pitching for the team in 1989. His son, Weston , is openly gay.
The elder Krukow told the San Francisco Chronicle that the actions of the four Giants pitchers lacked sensitivity to those in San Francisco's LGBTQ+ community.
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"I think that you have the right as a player to believe and say whatever you want," Krukow told columnist Ann Killion . "But you have to take a broader look at the city you're playing in. What makes San Francisco so great is the acceptance of others — ethnicities, opinions, cultures — and that extends to the gay community.
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"I would just hope they would understand the demographic of San Francisco and respect people for who they are. What you do to your uniform, that has weight to it. You can offend people. And why would you do that?"
