Twin Cities Twin – Minnesota’s MLB Franchise Takes Pride in its Home

In 1961, when Major League Baseball’s Washington Senators made the move from the District of Columbia to the Land of 10,000 Lakes, the population of their new home looked as it had looked for decades: (mostly) bachelor and not-so-bachelor farmers who grew and delivered wheat to the mills where it was ground into flour as white as the faces of the farmers who grew it.  

Over the subsequent decades of their parallel existences, thanks to that grand old American renewal known as immigration, the populations of Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and Greater Minnesota have taken on a more balanced representation of planet-wide humanity, and, in equal measure, so has the hometown team.  “The Minnesota Twins are committed to diversity beyond the idea of baseball,” the team declares on its official website.  “We believe when we take the field we play for everyone.”

The team’s Vice President of Community Engagement, Nancy O’Brien, agrees: “Your team is part of your community.  We’re not playing in a vacuum.”  This engagement translates to elevating segments of the Twins’ multi-cultural fan base during each season in the form of theme nights.  As the website puts it, “This is why, eight years ago, the Twins organization created a department concentrated on building relationships and inviting all communities to connect with opportunities available through the Twins.”  Other themes include Cancer Awareness Night, Wine, Women, & Baseball, and Prince Night, among many others—some serious, some not-so-serious.

O’Brien insists that such play-oriented work begins with “talking to the right people”–that is, members of the community being featured during any given highlight.  Happily, where Pride Night was concerned, the Twins did not have to look very far.  “I began with the Twins organization in 2010,” recalls Chris Frogge, the organization’s Manager of Fan Services and member of the Twins Pride Business Resource Group.  “I’ve been out since Day One.  I was never in.”

If Frogge had reservations about his openness over a decade ago, they were quickly sent to the showers.  “I was met with a sense not of tolerance but of acceptance,” Frogge says.  “So I immediately started asking, ‘When are we going to do a Pride Night?’”  Thanks to the efforts of Frogge and others, Pride Night finally did materialize and has been a popular theme every subsequent year…including this year.  

The Minnesota Twins observe 2023’s Pride Night at Target Field as they take on the Detroit Tigers.  “Join the LGBTQ+ community, friends, family, and organizations to celebrate Pride Night at Target Field!” the team’s website espouses.  “Your purchase of this special ticket package includes an exclusive Minnesota Twins Pride Night Twins Jersey plus your reserved seat to cheer on the Twins as they take on the Detroit Tigers on Friday, June 16 at 7:10 PM.”

The jersey is a striking merch specimen:  jet black, its back adorned with a “23” (as in “2023”) and its front adorned with the classic cursive “Twins” logo, each seemingly carved from a Progress Pride Flag, the design that includes black, brown, and trans stripes.  “We’re always trying to be as inclusive as possible,” O’Brien insists.  “We want everyone to know they are welcome.”

The purpose of Pride Night is even more personal for Frogge who adds, “I want to show my community who we are.”  The relationship between the local baseball team and the local queer community is no cynical cash grab, nor is it a passing fancy.  For the Minnesota Twins, standing with the LGBTQ community is a tradition that’s almost as old as the seventh inning stretch.  Well, it’s not that old of a tradition, but it has been going on for a while.  O’Brien confirms, “We actively participated in Twin Cities Pride before we started doing Pride Night.”  

The Twins’ support for athletic unicorns stretches deep into the past..and into the future, too.  “We’re co-sponsoring the [North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance] Gay Softball World Series, O’Brien says.  In fact, that comprises a theme onto itself, “Light Up The North Night” as “The Twins welcome the 2023 Gay Softball world Series to the Twin Cities,” according to the team website. “Twins Territory is accepting,” O’Brien affirms.  “We do things the right way for the right reasons.  We’re always building relationships with our community.”  

Via its themed nights, Minnesota’s Major League Baseball franchise has made itself into a reflection of the ever-growing, ever-changing community it represents—its Twin.  “Together, we are a melting pot of dramatically different communities,” says the teams’ official statement of Diversity and Inclusion.  “Together, we are tightly knit. Together, we are Twins Territory.”

“Our message is one of respect and inclusion,” the Minnesota Twins proudly conclude.  “We believe that we play 162 games, but we celebrate diversity 365 days of the year.  All cultures, all religions, all people. And that spirit of inclusiveness reflects everything we do, everything that happens at Target Field and beyond. Welcome to the true meaning of our game. Cheering as one, playing for all.”  Minnesota’s Major League Baseball franchise wants every night to be Pride Night…or at least to feel like it.  “Come out to see us at [Twin Cities] Pride,” O’Brien invites, “or come see is at a game.”

Minnesota Twins Pride Night
June 16, 2023, 7:10pm
Twins vs Detroit Tigers 
www.mlb.com/twins/tickets/specials/pride-night