Encore! Emeralds again go all in on Pride Night 

When the San Francisco Giants became the first Major League team to take the field wearing Pride colors earlier this month, they were following in the footsteps of their High-A affiliate.

That team is the Eugene Emeralds, who, in 2019, wore jerseys featuring a rainbow flag team logo. In doing so, they became the first Minor League team to wear Pride-themed uniforms.

Every day we're honored to be an @SFGiants affiliate, but having been the first affiliated @MiLB team to wear custom #PRIDE jerseys back in 2019, today we feel just a liiittle more honored seeing this news 🥰

Flashback: https://t.co/FDhNLzpdbz#GoEms x #SFGiants https://t.co/scVYanTmml pic.twitter.com/A0fDnSqbzG

— Eugene Emeralds (@EugeneEmeralds) June 1, 2021

The Emeralds, currently in their first season as a San Francisco farm club, went bigger and bolder in 2021. Friday's Pride Night ballgame featured hand-painted rainbow bases on the playing field. The team's uniforms included a rainbow team script, uniform numbers and logo patch. The bases and jerseys (including one autographed by former Giants star Will Clark) were auctioned off online, with proceeds benefiting the Matthew Shepard Foundation. The first 1,000 fans in attendance received team logo Pride flags, and the Emeralds released new Pride-themed merchandise in conjunction with the event.

"[Pride] was some of the best-selling merch we had in 2019. We learned from that and ordered a whole lot more this time around. The Pride jerseys were flying off the shelves," said Emeralds general manager Allan Benavides. "It was a big night with a big crowd -- we were at capacity -- and lots of engaged fans."

These jerseys 😍🏳️‍🌈#GoEms x #SFGiants pic.twitter.com/ZcEPRymlb6

— Eugene Emeralds (@EugeneEmeralds) June 26, 2021

A number of local politicians attended the ballgame, eager to support the Emeralds and their message. Among them was Lane County Commissioner Laurie Trieger, who represents South Eugene's District Three.

"One thing I like to say is, 'Think of the entire community as a giant circle,'" said Trieger. "We should start at the edge of the circle and work to bring everyone closer to the center. ... When the [Emeralds'] focus is Pride Night, it lets people know that they are supported by the broader community in being their full selves. It just feels good to have something specific for the LGBTQA+ community."

In addition to the Matthew Shepard Foundation, the Emeralds worked with nonprofit organizations such as the HIV Alliance and Eugene-based TransPonder. The organization Eugene Pride lent the Emeralds its portion of the Sea to Sea Pride Flag, created by original Pride Flag designer Gilbert Baker, and it flew outside PK Park's home plate entrance.

"We like to push things a little bit, using our business and the team to spread a message that, as Chris Singleton says, 'Love is stronger than hate,'" said Benavides. "I don’t think you can hate someone for who they are, so to use our platform for good is important. Pride Night has been well-received, but that's not to say we didn’t get a lot of hate mail. ... At the same time, it's also been great to see people step up to support and defend the movement and the cause."

Pride Night has personal meaning to Benavides. His grandmother, who came out as gay in the 1980s, was a special guest at 2019's ballgame.

"It was an opportunity to talk to my grandmother about something that was very hard in our family, an open dialogue that helped bring us together," he said. "[Pride Night] was the right thing to do, but it also made me think about how LGBT issues affected my family. ... She spoke to the team before the game, told her story in a silent room. She's a pioneer, in my opinion."

While the Emeralds' jerseys may not have the same reach as those worn by their parent club in San Francisco, it's all part of the same message: That everyone should feel free to live as they are, without fear of societal retribution.

"It was great to see our big league club stand up, be bold and do it. We're happy to be part of the family," said Benavides. "I think it's also a very good learning moment for players, to understand the impact they can have on the community as professional athletes. What it means to wear these jerseys, to be a part of it and support it. When we do this as a club, the volume is up loud, and it's important to understand the significance of it."

"There's a difference between saying 'All are welcome' and 'This was designed with you in mind,'" added Trieger. "On Pride Night, to be able to look around and see the bases, the jerseys on the players, [mascot] Sluggo wearing a Pride flag, all of it is a good reminder of being truly welcoming to LGBTQA+ people."