Play ball! How this minor league baseball team in Montana got Pride right

It was Pride Night for the Missoula Paddleheads, and Jayson Newman was wearing his special cleats. The slugging infielder took the field with his feet decked out in rainbows, complete with painted flowers and messages celebrating love.

His wife and daughter dreamed up the festive design, and he was proud to show off their work.

“Right now in the world, it’s really divided in my opinion. I’m not gonna get too political or anything, because that’s not what I’m trying to do. I’m just trying to celebrate love, try and do what I can to help,” he told Queerty. “I have family members who are part of the LGBTQ+ community, so just trying to show my support and love for them.”

Mission accomplished. The Paddleheads, who play in the independent Pioneer League, have been hosting their Pride Night for five seasons. The now-annual party was held last Thursday.

The event becomes more popular each year, says Kim Klages-Johns, the team’s director of sales and retail and architect of the festivities.

“The fans embrace the [LGBTQ+] community,” she said.

This month, we’ve been barraged with negative headlines about Pride Nights in pro sports, which are attracting more backlash than ever. Right-wingers, and some players, were outraged about the Los Angeles Dodgers honoring the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence at their annual event. Multiple players, including ex-Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass and former Red Sox hurler Matt Dermody, came under fire for sharing anti-gay messages on social media.

Amidst all of this controversy, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said last week he’s discouraged teams from wearing rainbow paraphernalia. Apparently, the homophobes must be protected.

In that sad spirit, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Thursday the league is banning Pride jerseys from being worn, even during warmups. Last season, NHL players across the league refused to wear rainbow uniforms, and were often shielded from accountability.

With those depressing stories in mind, it’s worth highlighting a team that’s doing Pride right. While pro clubs in liberal metropolises are running from the rainbow, the Paddleheads are embracing it.

Missoula is a funky town. Situated in western Montana, the vibrant and growing city has a progressive streak. The area’s state representative, Zooey Zephyr, made history last year as the first out transgender woman elected to the Montana legislature (Zephyr rose to national prominence when Republicans banned her from the House floor after she made an impassioned plea for trans rights).

For the last two years, the Paddleheads’ Pride Night has served as the unofficial kick-off to Missoula Pride, a three-day celebration that includes a parade, roller disco and dancing queens. When owners Peter Davis and Susan Crampton Davis purchased the team in 2017, they immediately looked to embrace the city’s diverse population. (In addition to the LGBTQ+ community, the Paddleheads work closely with the Indigenous community, auctioning off jerseys and merchandise to support Murdering and Missing Indigenous People.)

“Our core values are: create success, focus strength, engage meaningfully, take risks and do right. All the decisions we make are focused on that,” said Klages-Johns. “Engaging with this community, and engaging with the underserved and underprivileged, is what we do. We just feel like it’s our commitment.”

The team’s fans are on board with that commitment; and those who aren’t are out of luck. Klages-Johns recalls an incident earlier this season, when an enraged older man went up to the owner’s box and verbally accosted Davis for hosting Pride Night.

In response, Davis told the man he didn’t have to attend games anymore.

“Peter said, ‘We throw Pride Night because we love everybody,'” said Klages-Johns.

For the Paddleheads, Pride Night is one big party. The ballpark’s plaza is open with live music and an art walk; and last year, hundreds of fans embraced to the tune of “Just Dance.”

This year, every player on the team wore special Pride jerseys, which were auctioned off to support the Western Montana Community Center, the region’s largest LGBTQ+ charitable organization.

“There are very few things that make us as happy as having a ballpark full of people who are loving each other and feeling included. It’s our jam,” said Klages-Johns.

It’s a pretty special jam indeed, and the players’ embrace of Pride makes the Paddleheads’ message of inclusion especially resonate.

Instead of catching flak for his colorful cleats, Newman says his teammates were fully supportive.

“Everybody really loved them,” he said. “It was great to see how my teammates supported that, and how they were shared.”

Love, after all, is a group effort. The Paddleheads show that to their community each and every day.