New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Major League Baseball on Wednesday condemned an Arizona bill critics said could have allowed businesses to refuse service to gays on the grounds of religious beliefs.
The statement was released not long before Arizona Governor Jan Brewer vetoed Arizona Senate Bill 1062.
"As the sport of Jackie Robinson, Major League Baseball and its 30 clubs stand united behind the principles of respect, inclusion and acceptance," the league said in its statement. "Those values are fundamental to our game's diverse players, employees and fans. We welcome individuals of different sexual orientations, races, religions, genders and national origins."
"MLB has a zero-tolerance policy for harassment or discrimination based on sexual orientation, as reflected by our collective bargaining agreement with the MLB Players Association. Accordingly, MLB will neither support nor tolerate any words, attitudes or actions that imperil the inclusive communities that we have strived to foster within our game."
The Arizona Diamondbacks have been an MLB team since 1998. Additionally, many teams hold spring training in the state.
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