Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is drawing public scrutiny following a personal religious gesture made during the team’s annual Pride Night game against the San Francisco Giants over the weekend.
As part of the celebration, Dodgers players wore caps featuring the team’s traditional "LA" logo rendered in rainbow colours, symbolising support for the LGBTQ+ community. However, Kershaw opted to add a custom touch to his uniform, stitching the Bible reference "Gen 9:12–16" alongside the logo.
Shoutout to Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who wrote Genesis 9:12-16 on his Pride hat to remind everyone that the rainbow is a sign of God’s covenant 👏 pic.twitter.com/YMJAlxlNU7
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) June 14, 2025
The cited scripture, from the Book of Genesis, describes God’s covenant with humanity following the Great Flood and includes a reference to the rainbow as a divine symbol:
“I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth... I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” (Genesis 9:13–16, NIV)
Kershaw, a devout Christian and member of the Methodist Church, has previously voiced concerns regarding some elements of the team’s Pride events. In 2023, he publicly opposed the inclusion of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a drag and performance group known for its satirical religious imagery, during a Dodgers game.
“I don’t agree with making fun of other people’s religions,” Kershaw said at the time. “It has nothing to do with the LGBTQ community or Pride or anything like that. This is simply a group that was making fun of a religion that I don’t agree with.”
The recent addition of the Bible verse has sparked debate on social media, with some praising the player’s expression of faith and others criticising the timing and potential implications of the gesture.
"Clayton Kershaw will always be a Dodger great, but it’s things like this that make him a lot less likable," one person wrote on X. "Just wear the hat. Be a tolerant Christian and accept that there are others who believe differently than you."
As of Monday morning, neither Kershaw nor the Dodgers organisation had issued an official statement regarding the incident.
