What should have been an exciting 2024 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees has been marred by transphobic ads.

I wish I did not have to write this. Believe me, it’s infuriating to me as a baseball fan. I do not know how many sportswriters or other journalists have written about the hateful ads or covered them during news broadcasts but I cannot stay silent. As a transgender journalist, it is an obligation to use my platform to speak out against the hateful ads. They are ruining my enjoyment of the 12th Fall Classic matchup between the Dodgers and the Yankees. Sadly, transgender baseball fans will have to deal with it for at least another night after the Yankees came back to win 11-4 in Game 4.

There is no place for transphobia during the Fall Classic. Yes, the presidential election is next Tuesday but hate has no home in the World Series. What message is Major League Baseball trying to send to transgender baseball fans? No, seriously. Are they trying to drive away transgender baseball fans? We are here and we exist. I’m certainly not going anywhere! In fact, I remember seeing a Trans People Deserve to Live banner during Game 5 of the 2018 World Series. Funny enough, the banner was on display at Dodger Stadium. I still remember seeing ESPN’s Jeff Passan tweet about it and messaging him a note of thanks. Here we are six years later and rather than activists taking to displays, it is a presidential candidate being his hateful self as usual.

Trumpism is not only ruining America but it’s ruining America’s national pastime. To anyone thinking of voting for that hateful man, please know that I will never be able to look at you in the same way again. Do not give me the bullshit line that he is better for Israel. He is not but that’s beside the point. He is a narcissistic bigot who wants to be a king. Pay attention to his fascist rhetoric for crying out loud!

I’ll probably end up cross-posting on Dugout Dirt but since I’m posting here because SATM has the larger audience. Regardless, it does not change the fact that I am seriously upset with Major League Baseball. The blame equally lies with Fox, too, for taking the transphobic ads from the Donald Trump campaign. They’ve aired during every game of the World Series. Suffice it to say that three appearances during Game 4 of the World Series are three appearances too much.

MLB and Fox needs to do better. It doesn’t matter that the ads won’t be there during the 2025 postseason because the damage is already done.

Game 5 of the 2024 World Series will air on October 30, 2024.

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