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Leah Amico, a three-time Olympic softball gold medalist for Team USA, says she thinks she would have written a Bible verse on a Pride Night cap if she had been made to wear one at a game.
“I think I would,” Amico told PK Press Club Digital when asked if she would write a Bible verse on the cap.
“I think in a way it would be like saying everyone should wear a cross on their jersey, but I would never expect that with my teammates who don’t believe the same thing,” she added of players having to wear the Pride-themed caps.
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Softball player Leah O’Brien-Amico poses for a portrait during the USOC Media Summit at the Marriott Marquis in New York, NY, May 15, 2004. (Matthieu Stockman/Getty Images)
The comments from Amico, a three-time Olympic gold medalist with USA Softball and a three-time NCAA national champion at Arizona, came after Giants pitchers Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker wrote Bible verses on their Pride Night caps during San Francisco’s June 12 game at Oracle Park.
Roupp wrote “Gen 9:12-16” on his cap, with part of the biblical reference overlapping the rainbow-colored “SF” logo used for the team’s Pride Night uniform. The passage refers to the rainbow as a sign of God’s covenant. MLB later issued a warning, saying the problem was not the content of the message but that anything written on the uniforms violated league rules.
Amico said she viewed the players’ decision as a statement of religious belief rather than hostility.
“Of course, as a Christian, I thought it was a bold statement for them to be able to say, ‘Hey, I have a belief that’s different from why I’m being asked to wear this symbol,'” Amico said. “I support that freedom to be able to have religious freedom in a way, to share their values, in a time where athletes are being asked to participate in something that maybe goes against their value system.”
The Giants’ Pride Night caps were part of a tradition the organization helped start. In 2021, the Giants announced that they would become the first MLB team to incorporate Pride colors into on-field uniforms, including a Pride patch and a custom cap with Pride colors in the “SF” logo.
But this year’s event has become a hot spot. MLB said its warning to Giants players was a “routine verbal warning” and “non-disciplinary,” adding that the league has issued similar warnings for uniform messages such as “Dad” and “Happy Mother’s Day, I love Mom.”
The Giants later said they remained “proud to support Pride Night and the LGBTQ+ community,” while also acknowledging that the players’ individual choices had caused “pain and anger” among many LGBTQ+ fans.
Amico said she would encourage Giants players not to give up their faith.
“I’m sure they’re probably in a tough situation, wanting to be a part of the team and what they’re asked to do,” Amico said. “But for them, I think I just want to encourage them. At the end of the day, they answer to God first and foremost, above their employer, above someone who pays them, and above a coach or a teammate.”
“Our value system is based on the word of God,” she added. “It’s encouraging to see people step up and say, ‘We just want to share that this is our perspective and our value system.'”
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS PITCH WROTES BIBLE VERSE ON HAT AT PRIDE NIGHT CHALLENGE
Leah Amico of the United States competes in the preliminary round softball game against Italy at the Olympic Softball Stadium in Athens, August 14, 2004. The United States beat Italy 7-0. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
Amico said his objection is not about individual athletes or fans expressing support for Pride, but the expectation that every player on a team wear the same symbol.
“I would never want them to be put in that position, that they have to wear something that maybe symbolizes something that they’re not passionate about,” Amico said of her teammates who don’t share her Christian beliefs. “Ultimately, I think I would literally ask myself why is this happening in sports?”
Amico said he has seen a different model in international softball, where some athletes wear rainbow-colored armbands without the entire team being required to do the same.
“There are players who wear a rainbow-colored armband,” Amico said. “It’s not something the whole team wears. I support that, right? Players can go out and represent who they are and what they believe and what they feel. But I just don’t think it’s necessarily right to force an entire team.”
The controversy drew criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates and some San Francisco leaders, while drawing backlash from conservative politicians who argued that MLB’s response raised questions about religious freedom. Vice President JD Vance and Senator Josh Hawley were among those who criticized MLB after the league’s warning.
Amico said Christians in sports can face a difficult balance during Pride Month: wanting to be good teammates while also feeling pressure to publicly endorse something that conflicts with their faith.
“I think it could put them in a difficult situation if they worry about people who maybe agree, who maybe have that lifestyle,” Amico said. “They probably love them. They should love them if they’re Christian. I had a lot of teammates who lived that lifestyle, and I love them. I love them as people. They were my teammates.”
Still, she said, a team is made up of individuals and sports organizations should give players room to differ.
“I always thought we were a group of individuals on a team,” Amico said. “Perhaps how can we find ways to share individual values within the team?”
For Amico, the answer is a choice: Fans and individual players can participate in Pride celebrations, while other athletes should be allowed to wear the standard uniform without being treated as if they are betraying the team.
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San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello lifts starting pitcher Landen Roupp during the fifth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California on June 12, 2026. (John Hefti/Imagn Images)
“I think maybe a central point of this is allowing the fans to participate in something like this, but on the field and for the players, allowing them to have the opportunity to say, ‘Yeah, I prefer to wear my hat with the rainbow branding on it,’ and then for the other players to say, ‘I’m going to wear my everyday hat,’” Amico said.
“I think there should be that freedom in this situation,” she added. “Because I think if you have that freedom and you can be a little bit different, then I think that would go a long way.”
