Maybe the players that spoke at Christian Day don’t have much experience with the LGBT community or maybe they each have an LGBT sibling. I wanted a credential since four active players and the current manager were the opening acts for Berkman on Sunday, and it would have been nice to ask them how they feel about Berkman’s politics.Ĭarpenter, a Texas native, might have insight on Texas’ current push for anti-LGBT legislation regarding sports, adoption and marriage. “You can’t have faith unless you’re walking in the way that God wants you to walk. “Faith and obedience go hand in hand,” Berkman said. The closest he came was telling the crowd to be “obedient” to the Bible. Louis Cardinals released a statement in June that said about Berkman, “We welcome him back this year to discuss his faith.” Perhaps in an attempt to dampen the controversy, the Cardinals also decided to hold a Pride Night in August.īerkman stayed away from LGBT politics Sunday.
In June, there was backlash to Berkman being brought in as a Christian Day speaker. But it’s a Pandora’s Box.”īerkman, a six-time MLB All-Star, helped St. In November 2015 after the proposition was defeated, Berkman told NBC Sports that he regretted using the term “troubled men” and said it was language given to him by “the people behind the ad.” In the same interview he told NBC, “We shouldn’t have the rights of 2 percent of the population trump the rights of the other 98 percent. In a 2015 campaign ad, Berkman referred to transgender people as “troubled men who claim to be women.” The ad helped defeat Houston Proposition 1, a public referendum that looked to prevent LGBT discrimination in Houston. Outsports’ interest in the event stemmed from Berkman campaigning against LGBT rights two years ago. None of the seven speakers mentioned the words lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. Of the game’s 40,827 attendance, around 1,500 people stayed for the Christian Day ceremony. In addition to Carpenter, Rosenthal, and Matheny, Sunday’s speakers included current Cardinals pitchers Zach Duke and Adam Wainwright, former Cardinal player Lance Berkman, and Cardinals announcer Rick Horton. Matheny said of his players that talked ahead of him at Christian Day, “For them to share something that isn’t politically correct anymore, something that isn’t publicly acceptable, for them to stand up here and to share … takes a great amount of courage.” While the Cardinals denied a credential to an LGBT publication, Cardinals Manager Mike Matheny tried to claim Christians are an afflicted minority during his Christian Day talk.
#GAY PRIDE HAT ST LOUIS SERIES#
I’ve previously covered MLB games in San Diego and Chicago and events as big as the Stanley Cup Final.īut at a Cardinals and Arizona Diamondbacks game in late July, the Busch Stadium press box - which has hosted three World Series and an All-Star Game - didn’t have room. Outsports has been credentialed to cover Super Bowls and NFL games, Final Fours, the MLS Cup, MLB games, USOC events and even the ESPYs. It marks the first time Outsports was denied a media credential in its 17-year history, according to co-founder Jim Buzinski. Major League Baseball and its member clubs credential only those media wishing to cover teams and their players, where a theme night would not fall under that category.” Louis Communications Coordinator, wrote me that “Major League Baseball and its member clubs do not credential web/blog sites. I was denied a credential after requesting one first through Outsports and then through SB Nation, Outsports’ parent company.Ĭhris Tunno, the St. Yet, the franchise with the most World Series titles in the National League, seemed afraid of Outsports writing about the event. The two former All-Stars were supposedly speaking about their religion after Sunday’s game, but Carpenter talked about the camaraderie of the Christian guys on the team and Rosenthal discussed how it helps him to have people to talk to when things are tough.
Louis Cardinals’ Christian Day was Sunday at Busch Stadium. Neither Carpenter nor Rosenthal said the word Jesus.
Trevor Rosenthal never said the word Christian. LOUIS - Matt Carpenter never said the word God.