This season though, several players, in some fashion, objected.One, Sam Hentges, apparently refused to wear it at all, appearing in the traditional cap the Giants wear the other 161 games.
Several others wrote Bible verses on the hat in a form of silent protest.Starting pitcher Landen Roupp, as well as relievers Ryan Walker and J.T.Brubaker, wrote Genesis 9:12-16 on their hats.
Those verses discuss the rainbow representing God's covenant.After the game, Roupp said the message was meant as a statement of his faith, "That's just kind of something I believe in, and I stand firm in that.
And I'm thankful we live in a country where, you know, we have the freedom to believe what we want...and express what we want."Except the reaction from Major League Baseball didn't seem to suggest that's true.At least for some.MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL WARNS SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS PLAYERS FOR WRITING BIBLE VERSES ON PRIDE NIGHT HATSMajor League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks to the media before a game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the San Francisco Giants at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wis., on May 25, 2023.
(Stacy Revere/Getty Images)The league issued a warning to the three players who wrote on their caps that any further writing would be subject to punishment.Immediately, several prominent figures noticed that this warning had seemingly not been applied to other, similar, situations where players altered uniforms to make specific statements.
Particularly with pro-Black Lives Matter messages during the 2020 season.Two of those prominent figures were Sen.Josh Hawley and Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, Harmeet Dhillon.Dhillon on Tuesday posted on X about the league's warning, saying, "The USEEOC (US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) and state labor laws govern private employer disputes such as these.
Time to lawyer up!"Then, on Thursday, she took action.In a letter to Commissioner Rob Manfred, Dhillon said that the USEEOC will be in...