Missouri AG showdown with Major League Baseball isn’t state business | Porter
When will the nonsense end?
That was my immediate reaction to Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway’s hardball tactic with Major League Baseball over alleged religious discrimination. Hanaway’s attempt to intimidate MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred was so far out of the strike zone that the faux outrage would be laughable if the situation wasn’t so darn serious.
In a recent letter to MLB, Hanaway gave the league until June 25 to explain to her office why officials warned three San Francisco Giants players about violating MLB’s uniform code.
“Missouri will not tolerate any threat to punish a player for exercising his sincerely held religious or moral beliefs,” Hanaway wrote to Manfred. A copy of the letter was posted to Hanaway’s official page on X. “Doing so is both illegal and un-American,” the letter continued.
Giants quote Bible on caps
In case you missed it, Giants pitchers Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker inscribed Bible verses on their hats during the Giants’ annual Pride Night game against Chicago on June 12.
As a result, MLB reminded the players that any violation of the league’s uniform code could result in disciplinary action. The players were only warned about their actions and did not face any consequence for violating league policy.
“We respect players’ right to free expression,” a league representative told The New York Times. “However, writing of any kind, with any message, is prohibited per Major League Baseball’s uniform regulations.”
If you’re wondering why Missouri’s Republican attorney general got involved with a game played in California, you’re not alone.
In an email, I asked the AG’s office what legal standing Hanaway had in this matter. According to Isabelle Bryson, a spokeswoman for the office, Missouri law empowers the attorney general’s office to root out discriminatory actions, including the alleged discrimination against MLB players for their religious beliefs.
“As Missouri is one of seven states with two MLB teams, Attorney General Hanaway was especially concerned with reports she saw, and will not hesitate to hold MLB accountable should they discriminate based on religion,” Bryson wrote in an email reply sent to me on Wednesday.
In a June 24 post on the AG’s official X page, Hanaway wrote: “We have received a letter from MLB in response to our concerns about discrimination. MLB has assured my office that they will not discriminate against players based on religion. But words are easy. We will remain vigilant and will not hesitate to hold MLB accountable if it breaks its promises.”
What a load of nonsense, I thought. Yet, should any of us be surprised? In recent years, former Republican attorneys general from Missouri — both now-U.S. Sens. Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt, mainly — have used the office to wage senseless and needless cultural wars against the LGBTQ community and to stop diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the state.
Earlier this year, Hanaway’s office filed a lawsuit against the Missouri State High School Activities Association that claimed the non-profit’s way of selecting at-large board members discriminates against white men.
Speaking of Hawley, he chimed in on Pridegate as well, writing on X: “What does MLB think it’s doing penalizing players for their Christian faith? They owe us some answers. Right now.”
Missouri officials butt in
On June 17, Hanaway wrote this on X: “By forcing players to promote political and religious beliefs that they disagree with on pain of discipline, MLB is betraying a core tenet of American law and civic culture. I will open an investigation if MLB fails to respond to my letter by June 25.”
On Tuesday, Manfred responded, according to a copy of a letter he sent to Hanaway, which she posted on X. I was encouraged by how the commissioner addressed the issue with a proverbial fastball straight down the middle of the plate.
“You can rest assured that the Giants players will not be disciplined and that our rules will protect players from being forced to wear pride related activations that make them uncomfortable,” Manfred wrote.
Similar correspondence from Manfred to Hawley could be found on MLB’s website.
What should be noted here is that the players involved told reporters in California that they had planned the protest for weeks and that they did not feel discriminated against.
And that is probably my biggest issue with the Missouri AG’s office. Missouri taxpayers deserve an attorney general who will go to bat for them against deceptive business practices and other matters under the AG’s purview in this state.
Fighting cultural wars with privately-owned companies such as MLB that don’t involve Missourians is a tremendous waste of valuable resources and taxpayer dollars.
