June is Pride Month, which means there are many LGBTQIA+ events to attend across the country. Sports leagues are also joining the celebration, most notably Major League Baseball. 29 of the 30 MLB franchises are hosting Pride Nights.

At Pride events, teams often offer special ticket packages and exclusive swag, such as jerseys and caps. Sometimes proceeds from ticket sales are donated to charity. Every MLB team participates, except the Texas Rangers.

Ken Schultz is a lifelong baseball fan who has written for Baseball Prospectus and now contributes to Outsports. We caught up with Schultz to discuss Pride Month and its importance in sports.

Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Could you tell us about your passion for baseball and your work with Outsports?

Ken Schultz: “It’s always been my favorite, and for the past three years, they’ve given me a weekly baseball column. That’s the area I focus on most. I grew up in the north suburbs of Chicago, in Vernon Hills, about 35 miles north. My dad, a third-generation Cubs fan, passed it on to me at a very young age.

“My first memories of baseball are of going to a game in 1984, when I was five years old, seeing Ryne Sandberg hit a home run and Rick Sutcliffe pitch a shutout for the team that won the division and made the playoffs for the first time in 39 years. So, it was a very auspicious beginning to a lifetime of Cub fandom that led to a whole lot more mental scarring and pain, but it ended up being worth it in 2016.”

How would you describeOutsports?

“It’s an advocacy site for our community in the sports world. What we’re best known for and proudest of is telling the coming-out stories of athletes, whether they’re gay, bisexual, lesbian, or transgender. It’s both standing up for our community in the sports world and telling the stories, kind of oral histories of athletes. How and what they went through in their own coming-out processes, and how they were accepted. What was the response to their coming out among their teammates, coaches, and families? It’s a way to hopefully make it easier for queer athletes to see these stories and decide to take the leap and come out themselves.”

29 MLB teams get gay for Pride Night. One stubbornly refuses.https://t.co/wm1bKVNAdu

— Outsports (@outsports) June 6, 2026

How have things changed for the LGBTQIA+ community in sports?

“I would say 10 years ago, the vast majority of teams celebrating Pride and hosting a night to welcome LGBTQ fans to the ballpark would not have existed unless you were in, say, Los Angeles with the Dodgers or the Cubs. So the idea that now 29 out of 30 major league baseball teams, as well as I think 20-ish NBA teams, have a night dedicated to our community, saying not just, ‘Hey, we’ve got a special jersey for you,’ but making the night a message of, ‘Hey, you are welcome here. We appreciate having you as our fan base.’ That, in and of itself, is remarkable progress, especially for someone who grew up a closeted gay kid in Chicago, where, for the vast majority of my life, I would say, other than fan efforts, most teams in my own city would not have acknowledged my existence.”

Why does this matter?

“Another massive reason why Pride Night is important is that getting to go to, for example, Wrigley Field and being surrounded by thousands of people who are just like you, and having that night where the gay community allows itself to embrace sports is also special. And for one night, it feels transformative. It’s like the historical distance between the sports world and the gay community gets lessened. Even if it’s just for a night, it feels like there is this potential for more crossover in the future.”

So, this acceptance is significant? 

“Oh, definitely, yes. And I would say, commercially as well, approaching it from the perspective of how the LGBTQ community, especially the gay community, views sports, especially from the perspective of a gay man. For the most part, many gay men keep sports at a distance because of various traumas and scars we’ve accumulated over the decades, starting as early as gym class and grade school, where sports are often used as a cudgel against our community to portray us as weak or somehow less manly than people who excel at them.”

Talkin’ Gaysball: With his appearance at Atlanta’s Pride social, Strider adds his name to the roster of LGBTQ fans’ favorite players.https://t.co/iakmP2rpn9

— Outsports (@outsports) June 9, 2026

Which teams do the best job during Pride Month?

“The Dodgers are historically the team that throws the biggest Pride Night, with the largest turnouts, and by serving a large LGBTQ community in LA. They have one of the oldest Pride Nights and often do something a little extra on their night to make it special, whether it’s inviting a gay athlete like Tom Daley to throw out the first pitch, as they did a couple of years ago, or, this year, unveiling a display in center field to honor Glenn Burke and Billy Bean, the first two known out gay men in baseball, both of whom played for the Dodgers. The Cubs make a special annual outreach to the community. They have one of the biggest Pride Nights. The Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals throw fantastic ones.”

How cool was it that Atlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Strider showed up at a Pride event? 

“Anytime you have an active player on a major league roster who is willing to show up at a Pride event and show that he is actively on the side of our community and welcoming to us, it is a special thing. Unfortunately, that is still rare among baseball players. We do have a handful over the past few years who we know are allies. Liam Hendriks, for example, formerly of the White Sox and Red Sox, would, in negotiating contracts and free agency, be up front and say, ‘Do you have a Pride Night? Because if you don’t, I’m not signing with you.’”

The Texas Rangers still refuse to host a Pride Night. What questions would you ask them and Rob Manfred?

“I would ask, why do you want to be seen as the lone antagonist in this narrative, and what do you get out of that status? Is it arrogance that makes you feel you can do this and that the impact on your gay and LGBTQ community and on Dallas-Fort Worth specifically doesn’t matter to you?

“When it comes to Rob Manfred, honestly, I would ask him a whole lot of questions about how he’s approaching the lockout first. In terms of how he handles Texas, what do they need to do to make you willing to step out and criticize anyone in ownership? How badly do they need to continue fumbling the ball before you call them out on it?”

Last night the Los Angeles Dodgers had their pride night as every player was wearing pride hats.

Blake Treinen was not wearing a pride hat when he entered the ballgame. pic.twitter.com/JMeEKBMJPu

— js9innings (@js9inningsmedia) June 6, 2026

What’s your reaction to the Rangers hosting a Faith and Family event instead?

“That’s expected, especially in a market like Dallas-Fort Worth. A fair number of teams hold Faith and Family Nights throughout the game. I know that a couple of years ago, when the Dodgers had the controversy with The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Clayton Kershaw used a request for Faith and Family Night as a weapon against Dodgers Pride, which was certainly not appreciated by the community. So, I’m not surprised the Rangers would emphasize a Faith and Family Night and ignore Pride. But I certainly would like to see a point in the future where, I mean, ¿Por qué no los dos? Why not both?”

How do you respond to players who refuse to participate in Pride Night?

“You’re certainly free to exercise that right. Just know that, in the context of history, you are going to be the villain of this era when it comes to how we examine how teams and players approach LGBTQ fans, the LGBTQ community, and Pride in general.

“The comp I used in the column about Blake Treinen was calling him the Ben Chapman of Pride, and obviously, it’s not a perfect comparison. Ben Chapman, the Phillies manager who famously led racist taunts against Jackie Robinson, is remembered; if he’s remembered in baseball history, it’s specifically for that. Blake Treinen, if you are going to be remembered by baseball history, it’s not going to be for your postseason performance, I’ll tell you that much.”

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