anthony bass blue jays

Fans outraged by Toronto Blue Jays' attempts to salvage Anthony Bass' reputation

The Toronto Blue Jays have taken another wrong turn on a misguided quest to restore the reputation of disgraced pitcher Anthony Bass, further angering an already enraged fanbase.

The organization has made the baffling decision to play a cruel joke on the LGBTQ community that Bass offended when he shared hateful propaganda in May, choosing to let him catch the ceremonial first pitch kicking off Pride Weekend festivities on Friday evening.

And fans are apoplectic over the organization's disheartening attempts to sweep a problem under the rug.

Bass' initial "apology" on May 30 was met with backlash for its rushed speed and non-specific language, but that was nothing compared to the response to his statements given to media on June 6 and 8.

In his latest statements, Bass repeatedly characterized peoples' identities as a "choice," and all but confirmed he still believes in the values promoted in that hateful video he shared, which instructed Christians to boycott Target and Bud Light for their pro-LGBTQ stances and called the brands "satanic," "demonic" and "evil."

As part of this puzzling plan to help Bass make amends, the team had the reliever meet with the head of Pride Toronto on Tuesday.

Two days later, the 35-year-old was back in front of press, and took every opportunity to let interviewers know that — despite the lip service to the countless fans he offended — he still believes the hardcore fundamentalist idealogoy shared in that Instagram video last month.

Bass stated on Thursday that he removed the controversial video because he "felt like it was too much of a distraction," telling reporters, "I stand by my personal beliefs and everyone is entitled to their personal beliefs."

The pitcher once again doubled down on his belief that people's identities are "decisions and views" that he needs to focus on "being accepting of."

People are so angry at the team's forceful attempts to restore Bass' standing with fans (and perhaps even players), that some are even discussing washing their hands of Blue Jays fandom in protest over the organization's botched handling of this PR disaster.

Even fans who have been steadfast in supporting the Blue Jays for decades are done with the team after this latest series of missteps.

The Toronto Blue Jays will kick off their Pride Weekend festivities under this dark cloud of anger from fans versus the Minnesota Twins at 7:07 p.m. this evening at the Rogers Centre. As of Friday morning, Anthony Bass is still scheduled to catch the ceremonial first pitch.

Lead photo by

Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports


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