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MLB takes big step forward in its support of LGBTQ youth

MLB's Spirit Day 2016 T-shirt. (MLB)
MLB's Spirit Day 2016 T-shirt. (MLB)

Thursday is Spirit Day, a national movement in which people are encouraged to wear purple to stand up to bullying and support LGBTQ youth. It’s something that, since its inception in 2010, has seen a wide range of supporters, from The White House to WWE to Shaquille O’Neal to NASCAR.

But this year, Major League Baseball has stepped up its role in Spirit Day to a new level. MLB isn’t just one another Spirit Day’s corporate supporters — of which there are more than a dozen — this year it is one of GLAAD’s two official partners in Spirit Day. The other is Twitter.

On the baseball side of things, all 30 MLB teams changed their Twitter avatars to purple and shared the anti-bullying message. Billy Bean, who is MLB’s vice president of responsibility and inclusion, will be at Game 5 of the National League Championship Series between the Dodgers and Cubs wearing his purple Spirit Day T-shirt and using social media to show what kind of role baseball can have in not bullying kids who are different.

Bean — not to be confused with A’s exec Billy Beane — is a former MLB player who came out as gay in 1991 and was named MLB’s Ambassador for Inclusion in 2014. He told MLB.com:

“I feel really grateful that we have a chance to not only go to the game, but to be a part of it and support Game 5 of the NLCS, a great series with the Cubs and the Dodgers,” Bean said. “People might see an image, someone wearing a purple shirt like this one, and they may just ask a question: ‘What does that mean?’ And you can say, ‘You know what, baseball is just standing up for kids and taking a stand against bullying, which is something we do not endorse.’ A parent might be sitting next to their child, and the child might ask their parent, ‘What does that mean?’ And then they can have a conversation about bullying.”

The importance of this partnership with GLAAD by Major League Baseball shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s happening at a time in which the country is more divided on social issues than it has been in years. The upcoming presidential election has many people on edge and hostile toward others with opposing viewpoints. And issues like transgender bathroom laws in various states have made it clear there is a large divide in our country.

That’s especially true on social media, which is where the biggest push for Spirit Day is happening. It would be easy for MLB to stick to sports and focus on the postseason. But it’s not backing away or hoping its support flies under the radar.

For that, there will unquestionably be some backlash. We saw it a couple years ago when MLB teams supported Spirit Day on social media. And now MLB has an even bigger role.

Even if you hate the stance — and yes, some will, because they want sports to be sports and nothing else — you have to appreciate that MLB is unwavering in its support of an issue in which it believes.

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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!