The Baltimore Orioles became the fourth Major League Baseball team to produce a video for the It Gets Better Project to fight teen bullying. The Orioles were proactive in getting the word out, sending us this background on the video:
The Orioles today announced that they have released an 80-second anti-bullying video public service announcement in support of the It Gets Better Project and the Trevor Project. Produced by Orioles Productions, the video features pitchers Jake Arrieta, Jason Berken, Zach Britton, Kevin Gregg and Mike Gonzalez delivering encouraging messages to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth who are being bullied.
“The Orioles are proud to support the It Gets Better Project and the Trevor Project,” said Director of Communications Greg Bader. “Bullying of any kind, for any reason, is unacceptable to our organization, and we are pleased to have our players speak out against this behavior in the hope it will provide encouragement to LGBT youth, and all children, who are facing hatred and prejudice.”
Bader told Outsports the idea for the video started with Orioles fan Nikki Cimino, 28, of the Baltimore suburbs, who wrote the team an email in early July asking them to step forward and join the chorus of sports teams opposing bullying. Cimino told Outsports that she never imagined the Orioles would actually make a video, so she was surprised when she got a phone call from Bader this week telling her the video would be released today.
Cimino, who is engaged to a heterosexual man, identifies herself as queer and an LGBT ally.
According to Bader, the email from Cimino made its way through the business operations and PR departments. When the team reached out to players to gauge interest they expressed deep interest in large part because standing up against the bullying of gay kids isn’t controversial and hasn’t been politicized. He told Outsports:
You have a group of people, not even spots-related, who were willing to take on this issue that for whatever reason was somehow taboo. You’re talking about children who were being teased and bullied to the point where they thought life wasn’t worth living. It’s not exactly a controversial issue to speak on. It’s great that the San Francisco Giants were willing to do this, and then it was about riasing awareness to other teams as an opportuntiy to send messages to kids. I’m grateful the Orioles organization and players wanted to step forward.
Bravo for the Orioles for not flinching from saying “LGBT.” They join the Giants, Cubs and Red Sox who have already produced videos. Other teams like the Nationals, Mariners, Twins and Phillies have announced they will do videos.
New York and Los Angeles have the highest population of gays and lesbians in the country. Yet neither the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers nor Angels have done an IGB video or announced plans to do one. What is up with that?
on Jul 27th, 2011 at 8:25 PM
The Nationals still haven’t confirmed the blog’s report stating they would do a video.
And looking through that blog I’ve learned that Five Guys Burgers & Fries is no longer in Nationals Park, but they do have a Shake Shack now.
That last bit is unrelated to the IGB videos, but burgers and shakes also play a part in making things better.
on Jul 27th, 2011 at 8:59 PM
The guy in the video and the pic with the hat is a cutie.
on Jul 28th, 2011 at 7:18 AM
Ditto on the player with the Oriole cap, the one who actually mentioned LGBT and the telephone number for The Trevor Project.
Also good to hear a latino deliver the message in Spanish “Se pone mejor.”
Unfortunate that no black player participated. But still, it is getting better-both the vids AND the cuteness of the participants.
on Jul 28th, 2011 at 2:05 PM
Too bad this didn’t happen when Brady Anderson was still playing w/the O’s. Hunky guy and quite likely bi based on the rumors.
on Jul 28th, 2011 at 4:25 PM
For those who wondered, that’s Jake Arrieta in the picture, and yes he is handsome isn’t he?
One of the Orioles’ bright hopes for the future.
And in another dismal season for my boys, this is something they’ve done that I can be proud of. Thanks, guys.
on Jul 28th, 2011 at 5:19 PM
Bravo!
on Jul 28th, 2011 at 5:43 PM
It’s good to know how the effort got started. Thanks so much to Nikki Cimino! I had started a petition on Change.org to ask the Orioles to make the video, but they were already willing to do this on their own and the petition was ultimately unneeded.
The Orioles deserve much congratulations and support from us LGBT Baltimoreans. I hope everyone will send the Orioles a rousing thank you and encourage their continued participation with the LGBT communities in the area.
on Jul 28th, 2011 at 11:05 PM
@Joe Guckin Hey, why care for Five Guys when you have Ben’s Chili Bowl there? Half-smoke all the way please!
This is great, I should email the Rockies!
on Jul 28th, 2011 at 11:52 PM
So which is the litmus test now: Producing yet another of thousands of interchangeable It Gets Better videos, or doing same and mandatorily uttering the mendacious Orwellian buzzword “LGBT”?
on Aug 1st, 2011 at 5:33 PM
I am SO proud of the Orioles IGB video. I had never seen any IGB videos before. However, growing up and finding out I am gay all in the 1970′s, it was VERY difficult. I did come out in college 1989. I wish ALL the best to Young LGBT’s everywhere; and wish them a healthy, rewarding, prideful coming out experience! Bless you all.
on Aug 2nd, 2011 at 8:29 AM
@Joe Clark re: “So which is the litmus test now: Producing yet another of thousands of interchangeable It Gets Better videos, or doing same and mandatorily uttering the mendacious Orwellian buzzword “LGBT”?”
What is wrong with praising an individual for exceptional courage or intelligence? It is incidental that we demean those who have less of both? I did not seek to turn a positive into a negative, only to ‘accentuate the positive’ as the song says. Arrieta Rocks!
on Aug 5th, 2011 at 12:06 AM
Hey, to the cat being cynical…sometime cynicism is necessary, it keeps us thinking. Yet, these videos reach an audience that may not relate to anything or anyone else. I like them! Allies are good!