(LifeSiteNews) — An apology to the “pride community” wasn’t enough to save Anthony Bass’ job with the Toronto Blue Jays.
To the joy of liberal commentators, the 12-year veteran relief pitcher was cut last Friday despite expressing forgiveness for and even deleting a video he re-shared on Instagram that supported boycotting Bud Light and Target.
The post (which can be watched here) had called the two pro-LGBT companies “evil” and “demonic” for promoting gender ideology.
The Blue Jays’ decision to release Bass comes as pushback to wokeism in professional baseball is seemingly starting to gain traction.
In recent weeks, the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise has come under intense pressure — even from their own players — for inviting the anti-Catholic Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to their “Pride Night” game on Friday, June 16.
Bass, 35, held a press conference two weeks ago asking forgiveness for his actions.
“I recognize yesterday I made a post that was hurtful to the pride community,” he said at the time. “And I’m truly sorry for that.”
Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass spoke the truth, then was intimidated into a groveling apology. It wasn't enough, and now he's been fired. Will another team pick him up, or will they be too afraid of activists? https://t.co/LwUx3Et86Z
— Rod Dreher (@roddreher) June 10, 2023
Before being released, the 6’2’’ right-hander said that he does not feel the post was hateful, and that he stands by his “personal beliefs.”
At the same time, he acknowledged that he wants to “better educate myself to make better decisions moving forward.”
“I just want [the fans] to know that I’m working hard on myself.”
“The ballpark is for everybody,” he said.
Bass was booed during his last two appearances with the team. He was also criticized by social conservatives online for “cowering” to woke pressure.
Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins explained that he was “personally hurt” by Bass’ decision to share the video. He told reporters that Bass was released for a “myriad” of reasons.
“Performance was a large aspect of this decision. Distraction was a small part of it and something that we had to factor in,” he said.
Bass’s ERA this season was 4.95 over 22 games. A native of Michigan, he has played for a variety of Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, including the Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers. He had met with Pride Toronto’s executive Director Sherwin Modeste as part of the apparent re-education process to keep his job.
”I don’t foresee this mistake happening [again] on his part,” Modeste said before Bass’ firing.
To add insult to injury, Bass was fired just hours before he was scheduled to catch the ceremonial first pitch of Toronto-area queer activist LeZlie Lee Kam on Friday, June 9. The team was kicking off its “Pride Weekend” series against the Minnesota Twins.
Celebrating Love! Happy #Pride, Blue Jays Fans 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ #NextLevel pic.twitter.com/1sRXBEtfom
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) June 10, 2023
The Blue Jays are one of the most outspoken pro-LGBT franchises in all of baseball. The same day Bass was released, the team announced a $45,000 donation to multiple LGBT organizations. They’ve also praised a former homosexual player and recently called up a “non-binary” catcher to their major league squad.
In honour of Pride Month, Jays Care and @TD_Canada are proud to donate $45,000 to 9 LGBTQ2S+ organizations, including a $10,000 donation to @ACToronto. 💙 pic.twitter.com/yUV0cGlHus
— Jays Care Foundation (@JaysCare) June 9, 2023
National Review editor Rich Lowry published an article with a headline calling Bass MLB’s first “martyr” to “LGBTQ2S+ Orthodoxy.”