NEW YORK — In response to a recent executive order issued by President Donald Trump, Major League Baseball (MLB) has decided to remove references to “diversity” from its MLB Careers homepage. This action is part of the league’s effort to comply with the administration’s interpretation of civil rights law, which could potentially affect organizations that utilize Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs.
MLB has reassured that their commitment to diversity remains steadfast, emphasizing that they are currently reviewing their existing programs to confirm they align with federal law. “Our values on diversity remain unchanged,” the statement from MLB reads. “We are in the process of evaluating our programs for any modifications to eligibility criteria that are needed to ensure our programs are compliant with federal law as they continue forward.”
This move was first highlighted by cupofcoffeenews.com. Back in 2016, the MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred introduced the Diversity Pipeline Program. Commenting on recent developments, Manfred mentioned after an owners meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, that the league is closely observing the evolving federal guidelines.
“Our values, particularly our values on diversity, remain unchanged,” Manfred emphasized. “But another value that is pretty important to us is we always try to comply with what the law is. There seems to be an evolution going on here. We’re following that very carefully. Obviously, when things get a little more settled, we’ll examine each of our programs and make sure that while the values remain the same, we’re also consistent with what the law requires.”