Talk to Bobby Cox, the longtime manager of the Atlanta Braves, and he doesn’t react much to a question about how he would approach a gay player on his roster. In fact, Cox doesn’t react outwardly too much about anything — at least off the field.
And when I pitched the question to him after a Spring Training game in Orlando in 2003, he shrugged, professed not to care, delivered a safe answer and moved on.
That’s the way the Braves like it — focus on baseball. For the most part, it’s a strategy that works.
But later this month, two gay organizations want to focus on the Braves. Atlanta Pride and the Atlanta Gay Sports Alliance (AGSA) team together to raise a little money and, they hope, a lot of visibility by hosting “Pride Night at the Braves” on April 19.
It’s a replay of efforts in 2001 and 2002, when Atlanta Games, a group that led an unsuccessful bid to land the 2006 Gay Games in Atlanta, held the first “gay nights” at Turner Field by reselling discounted tickets to supporters at face value and pocketing the proceeds as a fundraiser. The inaugural effort set a record for the stadium’s largest group-sponsored event by selling 2,000 tickets, but attendance dropped to 500 the next year and the idea was shelved.
“We want a fun night where the community can sit together and show its pride and support the Braves,” said Mike Horton, chair of AGSA. “The great thing is GLBT families can enjoy the evening just as much as a group of friends and we wanted to cater to both ideas.”
This year, AGSA and Pride hope to sell 150 tickets and raise about $600 to split between them.
“It’s a lot of fun to be out, to be at a game and enjoy each other’s company,” said Donna Narducci, Pride’s executive director.
The Braves, for their part, aren’t saying much. A team spokesperson did not respond to interview requests by press time. A 2007 promotional schedule on www.atlantabraves.com includes “Asian Heritage Night” on June 18, “Disco Night” on Aug. 4 and “Latin Night” on Sept. 1, but no events of specific gay interest.
“Gay nights” are becoming more common at ballparks around the country, but that’s often about as far as Major League Baseball teams are willing to go in reaching out to gay and lesbian fans — or any specific group in their market, according to Jim Buzinski, co-founder of Outsports.com, a website for gay sports fans.
“'Gay nights’ are now so common that they don’t get much attention,” he said. “The teams have found that it is one more market they can tap. When you have 81 games a year, you want to fill those stadiums.”
But while the organizations might quietly encourage gay fans, some players don’t see it the same as counterparts in the marketing department, Buzinski added.
For the Braves, that’s proven true.
In July 2004, John Smoltz, a devout Christian and pitcher for the Braves who is undergoing a divorce, likened gay marriage to bestiality. In 1999, former Braves pitcher John Rocker issued his now-famous tirade against several minority groups, including gay men and lesbians.
But when the Braves were criticized for allowing anti-gay religious groups to take part in “Faith Days” last July, the team dumped Focus on the Family for two follow-up events a month later. A day before the event, the Braves hosted “First MCC Day” for the popular gay church, though it was not promoted by the team.
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