Texas Rangers Criticized By Employees For Not Hosting Pride Night
The chances of the Texas Rangers reversing course on the organizational decision to ever host a Pride Night in June appear slim at best.
The Rangers remain the only MLB team and Dallas-Fort Worth pro franchise not to host a Pride Night or recognize the LGBTQ+ community. That’s not changing anytime soon, according to the report from The Athletic.
Several current and former employees of the Rangers contacted by The Athletic are dismayed by the stance, which they feel is dictated by ownership. Dallas-based billionaire businessman Ray Davis is the team’s majority owner.
“I grew up here, I’m a diehard Rangers fan,” a current Rangers employee said. “When I started working here, it was a dream job. But it’s pretty [expletive] that it’s an organization over the last few years that has done or said things, or not done or said things, that not only do I not agree with or not reflect who I want to be as a person, but it’s bordering on being disgusting.”
MLB does not legislate whether its 30 teams have to host a Pride Night or support the LGBTQ+ community in other manners. Unlike many teams across pro sports, including the Dallas Cowboys, the Rangers do not sell any Pride merchandise in their team store. The Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Stars, Dallas Wings and FC Dallas are among the local teams that celebrate Pride Nights and/or LGBTQ+ causes.
The Rangers did provide the following statement to The Athletic, along with other news outlets:
“Our commitment is to make everyone feel welcome and included in Rangers baseball. That means in our ballpark, at every game, and in all we do – for both our fans and our employees. We deliver on that promise across our many programs to have a positive impact across our entire community.”
Ironically, the Rangers played at the Tampa Bay Rays when that organization celebrated Pride Night earlier this month.
“The whole message was ‘Baseball is for Everyone,’” another current Rangers employee said. “But not if you’re a Texas Rangers fan.”
The Houston Astros were the last team to add a Pride Night, doing so in 2021, which has proved popular and profitable, according to the report. Local advocacy groups have lobbied the Rangers to join the rest of MLB.
“It’s the bare minimum thing,” a former Rangers longtime employee said. “The fact that there’s so much resistance is a huge point of contention, not just for the gay folks, but for everyone. It was always something that bothered me greatly about the organization. They do a lot of things well, where they have all these other nights for different fans and cultures. The fact that they omit one group very clearly is just ridiculous.”
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