{"id":2615225,"date":"2026-06-17T13:39:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T17:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/d-backs-pitcher-ryan-thompson-defends-giants-players-really-cool-christian-expression\/"},"modified":"2026-06-17T13:41:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T17:41:00","slug":"d-backs-pitcher-ryan-thompson-defends-giants-players-really-cool-christian-expression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/d-backs-pitcher-ryan-thompson-defends-giants-players-really-cool-christian-expression\/","title":{"rendered":"D-Backs Pitcher Defends Giants Players&#8217; Christian Expression"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fd-backs-pitcher-ryan-thompson-defends-giants-players-really-cool-christian-expression%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2615225&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A group of San Francisco Giants players faced criticism for sharing their Christian faith during Pride Night, specifically referencing Genesis 9:12-16 on their LGBT-themed hats, which symbolize God&#8217;s covenant using a rainbow. Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Ryan Thompson publicly defended these players, emphasizing that their actions reflect their religious beliefs and are not anti-anything but rather celebratory of God&#8217;s mercy and promises. He highlighted that the rainbow represents God\u2019s unconditional promise, not hate or opposition. MLB responded by warning the players against expressing their faith in future games, prompting criticism from political figures like Senator Josh Hawley, who questioned whether the league&#8217;s actions show discrimination against Christian players. State attorneys general from Florida and Missouri also announced investigations into MLB&#8217;s treatment of Christian expression. The debate has garnered media attention and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >highlights ongoing cultural conflicts<\/a> over religious expression in sports.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Gw5G18JZUwk\">12 News\/YouTube<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/17\/d-backs-pitcher-ryan-thompson-defends-giants-players-really-cool-christian-expression\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=D-Backs Pitcher Ryan Thompson Defends Giants Players\u2019 \u2018Really Cool\u2019 Christian Expression&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/17\/d-backs-pitcher-ryan-thompson-defends-giants-players-really-cool-christian-expression\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=D-Backs Pitcher Ryan Thompson Defends Giants Players\u2019 \u2018Really Cool\u2019 Christian Expression&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/17\/d-backs-pitcher-ryan-thompson-defends-giants-players-really-cool-christian-expression\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/17\/d-backs-pitcher-ryan-thompson-defends-giants-players-really-cool-christian-expression\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=D-Backs Pitcher Ryan Thompson Defends Giants Players\u2019 \u2018Really Cool\u2019 Christian Expression&#038;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/17\/d-backs-pitcher-ryan-thompson-defends-giants-players-really-cool-christian-expression\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &#038; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>A group of San Francisco Giants players facing unhinged leftist blowback for sharing their Christian faith is receiving support from a fellow brother in Christ. <\/p>\n<p>Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Ryan Thompson <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Blakes_Take2\/status\/2067072342124343406?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">defended<\/a> Giants players Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker, and Ryan Walker on Tuesday after they <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/15\/inclusive-left-attacks-giants-players-for-expressing-christian-faith-on-pride-night\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote<\/a> references to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Genesis%209%3A12-16&#038;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Genesis 9:12-16<\/a> on their LGBT-themed hats during the team\u2019s Friday \u201cpride night.\u201d The Bible verses detail God\u2019s use of a rainbow to signify His covenant that He would never again destroy mankind by flooding the Earth. <\/p>\n<div id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3785414471\" class=\"d-flex justify-content-center fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 fdrlst__b89e9-entity-placement\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Giants pitcher Sam Hentges declined to wear the team\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/inclusive-left-attacks-giants-players-for-expressing-christian-faith-on-pride-night\/\" title=\"Leftists Attack ... For Showing ... On &#039;...&#039;\">rainbow-colored hat altogether<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to disturbing meltdowns from corporate media leftists, the San Francisco players have endured condemnation from Major League Baseball (MLB). The league issued a statement on Monday <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/16\/after-claiming-baseball-is-for-everyone-mlb-threatens-players-for-expressing-christian-faith\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">threatening<\/a> the players with punishment if they expressed their Christian faith in such a manner in future games.<\/p>\n<p>Coming to his fellow players\u2019 defense, Thompson, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yardbarker.com\/mlb\/articles\/theres_a_perceived_negativity_ryan_thompson_holds_nothing_back_on_mlbs_warning_to_san_francisco_giants_pitchers\/s1_17759_43964416\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Christian<\/a>, shot down the \u201cperceived negativity\u201d projected onto the Giants pitchers\u2019 actions. He emphasized how Roupp and Co.\u2019s biblical reference demonstrates God\u2019s mercy and the \u201cspecial\u201d covenant He established with his children.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think that there\u2019s a perceived negativity with this stuff of like, \u2018Okay, Landen Roupp wrote a verse on his hat, that means that he\u2019s anti something.\u2019 That doesn\u2019t mean that. It means that he\u2019s pro something, right? So, the rainbow means something to him. It means that he believes in the Noahic Covenant being something that\u2019s special to us as Christians,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cThat means that no matter how bad we possibly could be, no matter how much we reject God, that He will never again flood the Earth. That\u2019s really cool; that\u2019s really special.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Arizona pitcher went on to note how \u201cwe\u2019re all sinful\u201d and \u201cdo a lot of stuff that maybe worthy of a flooding.\u201d But it\u2019s because of God\u2019s \u201cunconditional\u201d promise, Thompson said, that He \u201cwill never flood us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s nothing negative \u2014 there\u2019s nothing anti. There\u2019s nothing that says that [Roupp] doesn\u2019t support anything, or that he\u2019s like hateful, or anything like that at all,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cIt\u2019s all positive. It\u2019s all like, \u2018Man, this is what the rainbow means to me.\u2019 And I just thought that was really cool that he did that.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <span class=\"J3sPHE2ymk1GKtg4n\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">D-backs pitcher Ryan Thompson, who is a proclaimed Christian, spoke on the MLB warning SF Giants players who wrote Bible verses on Pride Night caps:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I think there&#39;s a perceived negativity with this stuff. Landen Roupp wrote a verse on his hat that means he&#39;s anti something.\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/SFFJARW6v6\">pic.twitter.com\/SFFJARW6v6<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Blake Niemann (@Blakes_Take2) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Blakes_Take2\/status\/2067072342124343406?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 17, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>MLB\u2019s crusade against the Giants players has since caught the attention of federal and state officials. <\/p>\n<p>Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/16\/hawley-demands-mlb-answer-for-pattern-of-discrimination-against-christians\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sent a letter<\/a> to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday demanding answers from the league on \u201cwhat appears to be a pattern of discrimination within MLB against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rand-paul-mlb-might-be-a-little-too-woke-if-league-does-business-with-chinese-communists-while-boycotting-georgia\/\" title=\"Rand Paul: MLB \u2018Might Be A Little Too Woke\u2019 If League Does Business With Chinese Communists While Boycotting Georgia\">baseball players<\/a> who profess their Christian faith.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>MLB <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/5HqGx\">claimed<\/a> that their warning to the Giants\u2019 players \u201chad absolutely nothing to do with the content of the message,\u201d and that the league prohibits \u201cwriting of any kind\u201d on uniforms. Pushing back on this in his letter, Hawley highlighted how the league authorized writing on its uniforms and fields for Black Lives Matter and other left-wing \u201csocial messages\u201d in 2020.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AGJamesUthmeier\/status\/2066923867189260382?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">James Uthmeier<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AGCHanaway\/status\/2066998789836038428?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Catherine Hanaway<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dems-include-money-for-abortion-providers-in-1-9-trillion-covid-aid-package\/\" title=\"Dems Include Money for Abortion Providers in .9 Trillion COVID Aid Package\">state attorneys general<\/a> of Florida and Missouri, also signaled their offices will probe the league about its treatment of Christians. The latter sent a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AGCHanaway\/status\/2067262773134795072?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">letter<\/a> to MLB over the matter on Wednesday and said she will \u201copen an investigation if MLB fails to respond \u2026 by June 25.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics and RealClearHealth. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/anti-christian\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">anti-Christian<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/arizona-diamondbacks\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/christianity\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Christianity<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/lgbt\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">LGBT<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/major-league-baseball\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Major League Baseball<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/mlb\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">MLB<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/pride-month\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">pride month<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/rainbows\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">rainbows<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/ryan-thompson\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Ryan Thompson<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/san-francisco-giants\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">San Francisco Giants<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Diamondbacks pitcher defends Giants&#8217; Christian faith support<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2615226,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Ryan-Thompson.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546,33651],"tags":[15360,81327,81326,8357,53101],"class_list":["post-2615225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","category-the-western-journal","tag-baseball","tag-christian-expression","tag-diamondbacks","tag-giants","tag-sportsmanship-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Ryan-Thompson.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2615225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2615225"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2615225\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2615229,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2615225\/revisions\/2615229"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2615226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2615225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2615225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2615225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}