hat's a godless baseball fan to do?

When Waynesboro, Pa. First Amendment activist Carl Silverman took his kids to see a game last spring, he didn't expect to be asked for a church bulletin when he stepped up to the ticket window. It happens that Carl and his family wanted to see the Hagerstown (Maryland) Suns baseball team, but on that particular evening a special discount known as "Church bulletin" night permitted a family of up to six persons to get into the park for only $6.00. There was one catch, though; you had to have a newsletter or bulletin from a church.

   "I told the ticket clerk that I'm not religious and didn't have a church bulletin," recalled Silverman. He was then told that he had to pay the regular admission price.

   Thus began a battle between Silverman and the Class A Suns baseball club, which is an affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. This legal slugfest seems to be heading for extra innings.

   First, Silverman complained to the Maryland Commission of Human Relations, charging that the Suns' game was a "public accommodation," and that the team management was discriminating in its promotion of "Church Bulletin" night. He noted that the stadiums where the Suns play was built with taxpayer money, and that the team was even trying to obtain state and local funding for a new facility.

   The Maryland Commission urged the club to simply drop the promotion and settle the matter for a $500 fine. Suns management declined, and a "cease and desist" order was issued last June 12, but ignored. On July 29, 1998, the Commission then ruled that there was "probable cause" for a valid charge of religious discrimination against the Hagerstown Suns.

   The team management began promoting a "Faith Community Night" starting with its August 17 game. A local "family values" television station joined in, and the Suns announced that a portion of the gate receipts would be used to defend the club against the discrimination charges.

   In March of this year, the Commission filed formal charges against the Hagerstown Suns. That was good news for Carl, who said "Non-churchgoing families should not be expected to have to go into a church and retrieve a document to receive equal treatment. Besides, why should we be financing facilities for a ball team that uses public money while discriminating against certain taxpayers who don't attend church?"

   Now, it appears that the Suns management has added insult to injury. The team has now made a uniform change, and a golden halo patch has been added to the Suns' jerseys. Team owner Winston Blenckstone said that "People are telling us that they are proud of us for standing up for they think are wholesome family values," namely religiosity. Carl, ever the baseball fan, termed the Suns' actions "incredible."

   A hearing is slated before an administrative law judge on June 28; the court could put an end to the church bulletin promotion scheme, and uphold the Commission fine of $500. In the meantime, the club continues its discriminatory policies, and Carl and other godless fans are still not welcomed equally to Hagerstown Suns baseball.

(Learn more about Carl Silverman's fight for fairness by visiting the Pennsylvania American Atheists web site.)

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