Why are Major League Baseball players wearing gold ribbons?
All MLB ballplayers and umpires will be wearing gold (or yellow) ribbons and wristbands across the league for all games played today, Wednesday, September 1, 2021.
These special yellow ribbons and gold wristbands are being worn for MLB’s Childhood Cancer Awareness Day, in support of the fight against childhood cancer. This is the sixth consecutive season in which the league has raised awareness of childhood cancer via players wearing the gold ribbons and wristbands during a game.
“MLB’s ‘Childhood Cancer Awareness Day,’ held during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in collaboration with Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), will combine a visual and ceremonial demonstration of support for the cause with outreach to local hospitals treating young patients in their communities,” read the press release from MLB. “Approximately 15,000 children younger than 20 are diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States.”
All on-field MLB personnel will be wearing gold ribbon decals or patches on their jerseys as well as gold wristbands — this includes players, managers, coaches, and umpires.
Some of the additional ways Major League Baseball teams will help raise awareness of childhood cancer on Wednesday include pregame ceremonies, youth participation in pregame ceremonies, virtual visits from players and mascots, and other special recognitions.
In addition to the in-game events, fifteen MLB clubs have been selected to receive Starlight Nintendo Switch Lites with a copy of the RBI Baseball 21 video game to be donated to local children’s cancer hospitals or hospital pediatric cancer care units. The 15 clubs selected for this program in 2021 include the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, and Toronto Blue Jays.
Related stories:
Red and Blue Caps Worn Across Baseball This Weekend 
Blue Ribbons, Blue Logo Caps Worn Across Baseball for Father’s Day 2021 
Baseball Celebrates Lou Gehrig Day with Patches, ALS Fundraising on June 2 
Red Poppy Flower Patches Across MLB on Memorial Day 
Marlins New “City Connect” Uniform Remembers Cuba’s Sugar Kings 
Exclusive: The Entire 2021 MLB Holiday Uniform Collection 
SF Giants Bring Back Player Names to Uniforms 
Report: Colorado Rockies Getting New Uniform “Next Year”