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Three-time Team USA Olympic softball golden medalist Leah Amico says she believes she would person written a Bible verse connected a Pride Night headdress if she had been made to deterioration 1 successful a game.
"I judge I would," Amico told Fox News Digital erstwhile asked if she'd constitute a Bible verse connected nan cap.
"I judge that successful immoderate ways I consciousness for illustration it would beryllium akin to saying everybody should person to deterioration a transverse connected their jersey, but I would ne'er expect that pinch my teammates that don’t judge nan aforesaid thing," she added of nan players having to deterioration nan Pride-themed caps.
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Softball subordinate Leah O'Brien-Amico poses for a image during nan USOC Media Summit astatine nan Marriott Marquis successful New York, N.Y., connected May 15, 2004. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
The comments from Amico, a three-time Olympic golden medalist pinch USA Softball and a three-time NCAA nationalist champion astatine Arizona, came aft Giants pitchers Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker wrote Bible verses connected their Pride Night caps during San Francisco’s June 12 crippled astatine Oracle Park.
Roupp wrote "Gen 9:12-16" connected his cap, pinch portion of nan Bible reference overlapping nan rainbow-colored "SF" logo utilized for nan team’s Pride Night uniform. The transition refers to nan rainbow arsenic a motion of God’s covenant. MLB later issued a warning, saying nan rumor was not nan contented of nan connection but that penning of immoderate benignant connected uniforms violates convention rules.
Amico said she viewed nan players’ determination arsenic a connection of belief condemnation alternatively than hostility.
"Of course, arsenic a chap Christian, I thought it was a bold connection for them to beryllium capable to say, ‘Hey, I person a belief that is different than nan logic that I’m being asked to deterioration this symbol,’" Amico said. "I support that state to beryllium capable to person religious freedom successful a way, to stock their values, astatine a clip wherever athletes are being asked to past partake successful thing that possibly goes against their worth system."
The Giants’ Pride Night caps were portion of a contented nan statement helped pioneer. In 2021, nan Giants announced they would go nan first MLB squad to incorporate Pride colors into on-field uniforms, including a Pride spot and a civilization headdress pinch Pride colors successful nan "SF" logo.
But this year’s arena became a flashpoint. MLB said its informing to nan Giants players was a "routine verbal warning" and "not disciplinary," adding that nan convention has issued akin warnings for azygous messages specified arsenic "Dad" and "Happy Mother’s Day, I Love Mom."
The Giants later said they remained "proud to support Pride Night and nan LGBTQ+ community," while besides acknowledging that individual players’ choices had caused "pain and anger" among galore LGBTQ+ fans.
Amico said she would promote nan Giants players not to backmost down from their faith.
"I’m judge they are astir apt successful a reliable situation, wanting to beryllium portion of nan squad and what they’re asked to do," Amico said. "But for them, I deliberation I conscionable want to encourage them. At nan extremity of nan day, they reply to God supra each else, supra an employer, supra personification that pays them, and supra a coach aliases a teammate."
"Our worth strategy is based connected God’s word," she added. "It’s encouraging to spot group being bold, to say, ‘We conscionable want to stock that this is our position and our worth system.’"
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS PITCHER WRITES BIBLE VERSE ON HAT IN DEFIANCE OF PRIDE NIGHT
Leah Amico of nan USA competes during nan preliminary softball crippled against Italy astatine nan Athens Olympic Softball Stadium connected Aug. 14, 2004. The USA defeated Italy 7-0. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
Amico said her objection is not to individual athletes aliases fans expressing support for Pride, but to nan anticipation that each subordinate connected a squad deterioration nan aforesaid symbol.
"I would ne'er want them to beryllium put successful that position, to person to deterioration thing that symbolizes possibly thing that they are not passionate about," Amico said of teammates who do not stock her Christian beliefs. "At nan extremity of nan day, I deliberation I would virtually conscionable consciousness like, why is this successful sports?"
Amico said she has seen a different exemplary successful world softball, wherever immoderate athletes deterioration rainbow-colored armbands without nan full squad being required to do nan same.
"There are players that really deterioration an armband that has rainbow colors connected it," Amico said. "It’s not thing nan full squad wears. I support that, right? Players being capable to spell retired and correspond who they are and what they judge and what they feel. But I conscionable don’t deliberation it’s needfully correct to unit an full team."
The contention has drawn disapproval from LGBTQ+ advocates and immoderate San Francisco leaders, while besides prompting pushback from blimpish politicians who based on that MLB’s consequence raised questions astir belief freedom. Vice President JD Vance and Sen. Josh Hawley were among those criticizing MLB aft nan league’s warning.
Amico said Christians successful sports tin look a difficult equilibrium during Pride Month: wanting to beryllium bully teammates while besides emotion unit to publically endorse thing that conflicts pinch their faith.
"I deliberation it could put them conscionable successful a reliable business if they attraction astir nan group who possibly agree, possibly person that lifestyle," Amico said. "They astir apt emotion them. They should emotion them if they’re a Christian. I had galore teammates who lived successful that lifestyle, and I emotion them. I emotion them arsenic people. They were my teammates."
Still, she said, a squad is made up of individuals, and sports organizations should time off room for players to differ.
"I ever felt powerfully that we are a bunch of individuals connected a team," Amico said. "Maybe really do we find ways to person individual values shared wrong being portion of nan team?"
For Amico, nan reply is choice: fans and individual players tin participate successful Pride celebrations, while different athletes should beryllium allowed to deterioration nan modular azygous without being treated arsenic if they are betraying nan team.
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San Francisco Giants head Tony Vitello lifts starting pitcher Landen Roupp during nan 5th inning against nan Chicago Cubs astatine Oracle Park successful San Francisco, Calif., connected June 12, 2026. (John Hefti/Imagn Images)
"I deliberation a halfway constituent of each of this is possibly let nan fans to return portion successful thing for illustration this, but connected nan section and for nan players, allowing them to person nan expertise to say, ‘Yes, I for illustration to deterioration my chapeau pinch nan rainbow branding connected it,’ and past different players to say, ‘I’m going to deterioration my mundane hat,’" Amico said.
"I deliberation location should conscionable beryllium that state successful that situation," she added. "Because I deliberation if you person that state and it’s okay to beryllium a small different, past I deliberation that would spell a agelong way."
Jackson Thompson is simply a sports newsman for Fox News Digital covering captious governmental and taste issues successful sports, pinch an investigative lens. Jackson's reporting has been cited successful national authorities actions related to nan enforcement of Title IX, and successful bequest media outlets including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Associated Press and ESPN.com.
