SF Giants commentator compares gays to black people as 'oppressed' minority following Christian protest

San Francisco Giants sportscaster Mike Krukow vehemently defended the team's Pride Night celebration in lengthy remarks after three pitchers wrote Bible verses on their hats.

Pitchers Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker, and Ryan Walker wrote differing forms of "Genesis 9:12-16" on their Giants rainbow-themed hats last week, and veteran commentator Krukow says it was a big mistake.

'The strength of this city is its ethnicity, its culture.'

Krukow's diatribe came after hosts on radio station KNBR asked him on Tuesday if he had any thoughts on the protest. Krukow did not hold back, directly comparing the "gay community" to black Americans by referring to homosexuals as an oppressed "minority."

"It's hard to put it into perspective when you have so much emotion and so much of love for people who have been pinged at and oppressed and there was so much prejudice at you," Krukow attempted to explain. "The gay community has had to deal with issues, as the black community, as any minority community has had to."

The announcer championed the Giants organization's long history of supporting gay people, which he said dated back to 1994 when it raise money for AIDS research. This was just one of the reasons Krukow said it was the duty of Giants players to understand the culture of the city, and thus, to support gay events.

RELATED: Minor league baseball team cancels Pride Night ballgame — but still holds Pride Night to punish players

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"It's your responsibility to know just how sensitive this city is in regards to that cultural freedom and religious freedom and just the way that you live your life. And I think they were in for a rude awakening with the response," Krukow said.

However, the protests did not prevent Giants fans from showing up at the next two home games. As Blaze News reported, attendance fluctuated in the days following the allegedly bigoted acts, with more fans showing up on the Sunday after Pride Night than they did on Pride Night itself.

The 74-year-old announcer made plenty more partisan comments during his radio appearance, saying the "ethnicity" and "freedom" of San Francisco is what makes the city great.

"The strength of this city is its ethnicity, its culture," Krukow claimed. "It's the freedom for people to be able to come to a city and be free. And that's a powerful thing."

Though Krukow frequently mentioned "freedom," he seems to have been referring to sexuality.

RELATED: Do Giants fans hate the Christian protest on Pride Night? Attendance numbers reveal the truth

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Krukow did mention that he feels it is necessary to respect both sides of the issue.

Krukow said that complaints about the Pride Night protests were not from just "trolls," but rather "deep thoughts" and "educated opinion[s]" on why it is imperative to support the "gay community."

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