No pro sports team has a bigger Pride Night or a longer history of supporting the LGBTQ community than the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The team goes all-out for the annual event, with giveaways, first pitches, performances, nonprofit partnerships, and, this year, a permanent memorial at Dodger Stadium honoring gay players Glenn Burke and Billy Bean. Beyond Pride Night, the Dodgers showcase LGBTQ support throughout the year.
Players wear game caps with the Dodgers logo in Pride rainbow colors, as they did for the team’s Pride Night on Friday. But two Dodgers players—outfielder Alex Call and pitcher Blake Treinen—opted to wear their regular caps with the logo in white.
“It was a big middle finger by the two players to the LGBTQ community,” the piece notes, though the author also said, “Frankly, I’m glad they did it, and I’m glad the Dodgers allowed them.”
The stance represents a shift from four years ago, when several Tampa Bay Rays players refused to wear Pride jerseys, sparking widespread criticism. At the time, the author said the club erred by not making the event an “all-or-nothing” proposition.
The Dodgers, with one of the longest and strongest track records in pro sports supporting the LGBTQ community—spanning 25 years—demonstrate a different approach. Even with some players opting out of Pride gear, other players can still show their support.
“That doesn’t mean we have to simply accept the underlying homophobia. We should not,” the piece emphasizes. “Treinen and Call learned this from somewhere, and their refusal gives us a glimpse into the continued presence of anti-LGBTQ sentiments amongst pro athletes, and the need to double our efforts.”
The author draws parallels to other leagues, noting that the NHL tried to mandate that every player wear a Pride jersey during pregame warm-ups three years ago, which backfired. Some players refused to participate, and the league eventually banned Pride gear entirely before partially reversing that decision with Pride tape.
“Allowing some players to not wear the Pride cap or jersey during a game, in 2026 when acceptance of trans people, as well as gay marriage on the margins, is on the decline, this seems like the right move,” the author said.
Ultimately, the approach allows most players to welcome all fans to the ballpark while acknowledging that a minority may have personal objections. As motivational speaker Mel Robbins says: “Let them.”