The Texas Rangers, a Major League Baseball team, have remained the only team in the league without a Pride night or any other promotion related to gay pride since 2003. Despite media outlets checking in with the team each season, they have not held any LGBTQ+ themed celebrations. The team’s COO, Neil Leibman, mentioned their efforts to make hiring procedures more inclusive, but activists like Rafael McDonnell, who serves as a liaison between the LGBTQ Resource Center and sports clubs, expressed dissatisfaction, urging the team to do more.

In 2022, the Texas Rangers were a “Platinum Corporate Sponsor” for the “Gay Softball World Series” in Dallas, but they still didn’t publicly acknowledge their efforts. Some media outlets have connected the team’s lack of World Series victories and their lack of Pride nights, calling them the “last homophobic holdout.”

Despite this association, the Rangers performed well in the 2023 season, finishing as the second-best team overall. However, it remains a point of contention that they have not embraced LGBTQ+ celebrations like other teams, such as the Chicago Cubs, who hosted the first-ever Pride game in the MLB in 2

BREAKING: Professional baseball team decides to focus on baseball instead of promoting new imperial religion. Currently boasts second best record in the league. https://t.co/MKXKrPkLBW

— Tyler Carditis (@TyCardon) June 5, 2023

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