(The Lion) — Nearly one week after three San Francisco Giants pitchers sparked controversy with a faith-infused statement on Pride Night, a minor league team on the other side of the country has canceled its Pride Night game following objections from several players.
The York Revolution of Pennsylvania announced yesterday that its Pride Night game Thursday would be forfeited after several players said they would not wear the rainbow-themed jerseys – marking what may be the first known instance in American professional sports of a game being canceled or forfeited after players declined to participate in a Pride Night uniform promotion.
The Revolution is a professional baseball team that competes in the independent Atlantic League.
The team posted a statement on its website announcing the cancellation.
“This decision was not reached lightly. 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,” the statement said. “As a result, and out of respect for the Pride Community and the York community as a whole, the York Revolution has decided that the game on Thursday, June 18 will be forfeited and that Pride Night will continue on as the feature element of the evening at WellSpan Park.”
The game will be treated as a rainout, meaning fans who purchased tickets for Thursday’s contest may exchange them for tickets to a future game. The Revolution will proceed with other Pride Night activities.
D-backs pitcher Ryan Thompson, who is a proclaimed Christian, spoke on the MLB warning SF Giants players who wrote Bible verses on Pride Night caps:
"I think there's a perceived negativity with this stuff. Landen Roupp wrote a verse on his hat that means he's anti something.… pic.twitter.com/SFFJARW6v6
— Blake Niemann (@Blakes_Take2) June 17, 2026
“This action by the players is completely inconsistent with our vision as the Most Welcoming Place in York,” the team said, adding it will make a $10,000 donation to the Rainbow Rose Center as an expression of its regret. The center is a resource for the LGBTQ community.
The team’s Facebook page limited comments on its announcement, but discussions on local media pages were filled with support for the players’ decision. On WGAL’s Facebook page, for example, many of the most-liked comments defended the players’ stance and argued that no one should be compelled to wear apparel that conflicts with their beliefs. WGAL is based in nearby Lancaster.
One top comment read, “Not all heroes wear capes. Some just don’t wear jerseys.”
Another said, “No one should be forced to wear something symbolizing what they do not believe in.”
The forfeit came six days after three San Francisco Giants pitchers sparked controversy by writing Genesis 9:12-16 on their Pride Night caps, pointing to the biblical passage in which God establishes the rainbow as a sign of His covenant with humanity.
This week, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Ryan Thompson defended the Giants pitchers’ actions on Pride Night – specifically mentioning Landen Roupp, who started that evening.
“The rainbow means something to him – it means that he believes in the Noahic covenant being something that’s special to us as Christians,” Thompson said. “That means that no matter how bad we possibly could be, no matter how much we reject God, that He will never again flood the earth. That’s really cool. That’s really special.”
Thompson added that “we’re all sinful” and “maybe worthy of a flooding” – but that God is full of grace. The actions by the Giants pitchers were “all positive,” Thompson said, adding that Roupp was simply saying “this is what the rainbow means to me.”
“And I just thought that was really cool that he did that.”
