The Dodgers continue to be embroiled in controversy as they have reinstated an event to honor drag queens. Initially, the Dodgers uninvited the group Sister of Perpetual Indulgence (SPI), a group of drag queens dressed as nuns, when they received backlash. However, they have since reinvited the group and apologized to the drag performers. Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen issued a statement condemning the decision. Stating that his “convictions in Jesus Christ will always come first,” Treinen slammed the Dodgers for getting political. “People like baseball for its entertainment value and competition. The fans do not want propaganda or politics forced on them. The debacle with Bud Light and Target should be a warning to companies and professional sports to stay true to their brand and leave the propaganda and politics off the field,” he wrote. He went on to state that the SPI was a “mockery.” “This group openly mocks Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of my faith, and I want to make it clear that I do not agree with nor support the decision of the Dodgers to ‘honor’ the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.” He ended by quoting Joshua 24:15, which says, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Treinen is not the only Dodger to speak out. Pitcher Clayton Kershaw also spoke to the Los Angeles Times, stating he did not agree with the decision. “I don’t agree with making fun of other people’s religions,” he said. “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.” Kershaw then pushed for the team to announce the return of “Christian Faith and Family Night,” an event that has not been held at the stadium since 2019. “I think we were always going to do Christian Faith Day this year, but I think the timing of our announcement was sped up. Picking a date and doing those different things was part of it as well. Yes, it was in response to the highlighting of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,” he said. Kershaw made the announcement for the day on his Instagram account. As a Christian, he said he wanted to focus on what he does support rather than what he doesn’t. “For us, we felt like the best thing to do in response was, instead of maybe making a statement condemning or anything like that, would be just to instead try to show what we do support, as opposed to maybe what we don’t. And that was Jesus. So, to make Christian Faith Day, our response is what we felt like was the best decision.”

 The response to the announcement of a Christian Faith Day has been somewhat tepid. Writing for the sports outlet, Outkick, Matt Reigle summed up the attempt as too little, too late. “Of course, most people won’t fall for this. Will they really feel like this is genuine when a month and a half earlier, the team presented an award to a group that openly mocks their faith? I don’t think so,” he wrote. “The Dodgers are trying to please both sides the way Bud Light and then, more recently, Target have. That doesn’t work; all you end up doing is making everyone mad. So, how do you avoid this problem? You just don’t do these partisan theme nights. You’re a baseball team! Put together a good game night experience, put a decent team on the field, and people will show up to drop money on $14 Bud Lights Coors Lights.”