"I don’t agree with making fun of other people’s religions" - Clayton Kershaw not on board with team's endorsement of LGBT group
When it comes to conversations about the Los Angeles Dodgers, it is impossible not to mention pitching ace Clayton Kershaw.
A three-time Cy Young Award winner, the Texas native also has the lowest ERA of any starter to throw more than 700 innings. Last season, Clayton Kershaw also deposed Don Sutton as the all-time Dodgers franchise strikeout leader.
However, the 35-year-old has been in the news recently for a different sort of thing altogether. Some fans are wondering how vast the schism between him and his team will get on the issue at hand.
The Los Angeles Dodgers recently announced that for their June 16 Pride Night, they will be honoring the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. The controversial group uses religious and sexual iconography to fundraise for LGBT+ causes.
Clayton Kershaw, a devout Christian, made headlines when he went on record recently to say that he disagrees with his team's decision. Recently, Kershaw doubled down on his stance, saying to the LA Times:
"I don’t agree with making fun of other people’s religions, it has nothing to do with anything other than that. I just don’t think that, no matter what religion you are, you should make fun of somebody else’s religion. So that’s something that I definitely don’t agree with."
In response to his team's decision to push forward with the pre-game recognition of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Kershaw decided to plug an event more aligned with his values.
According to the pitcher, he approached the Dodgers about accelerating their announcement of the Christian Faith and Family Day in July. Kershaw took to Twitter to endorse the event, which will be the first of its kind at Dodger Stadium since the 2019 season.
Clayton Kershaw and the LA Dodgers announced Friday that they will host a ‘Christian Faith and Family Day’. foxla.com/news/dodgers-t…
"Clayton Kershaw and the LA Dodgers announced Friday that they will host a ‘Christian Faith and Family Day’." - FOX 11 Los Angeles
Clayton Kershaw's comments come just days after Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass recently found himself in hot water over comments made on social media pertaining to the LGBT community. Needless to say, it is a hot topic in baseball right now.
Clayton Kershaw's controversy comes at a very tense time
All around baseball and sports in general, athletes have had to make a choice between executing their faith or beliefs and capitulating to the mainstream demands of their teams.
Last year, we saw several Tampa Bay Rays players protest against an LGBT-colored armband. Although the Kershaw-Pride Night controversy is bound to die down, the controversy wades into some interesting territory, pitting individual players against the wider establishment.