FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 10, 2026
Liza Deckelbaum, Press Director, FDC
press@faithdrivenconsumer.com
FAITH DRIVEN CONSUMER INVITES MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TO LEAD UPDATED FAITH EQUALITY INDEX DURING ALL-STAR WEEK
MLB invited as first and foundational institution to answer FDC’s Add-Us-In question and engage Faith Driven Consumers through the Corporate Pledge process
RALEIGH, N.C.—As Major League Baseball celebrates All-Star Week, Faith Driven Consumer today announced that MLB has been invited to serve as the first and foundational institution in FDC’s updated Faith Equality Index and Corporate Pledge process.
The invitation gives MLB a timely opportunity to lead nationally by answering one clear, voluntary, good-faith question:
“Will Major League Baseball Welcome, Embrace, Celebrate, and Affirm Faith Driven Consumers equally?”
FDC sent the invitation to Commissioner Rob Manfred and members of MLB’s senior leadership team yesterday following Commissioner Manfred’s recent letter addressing the San Francisco Giants cap controversy. The Commissioner’s letter provided important clarification. “FDC believes All-Star Week now provides a constructive opportunity for MLB to finish the moment well—by engaging Faith Driven Consumers openly, equally, and measurably” said Chris Stone, Founder of Faith Driven Consumer.
“Baseball’s All-Star moment celebrates the best of the game. It also gives MLB the opportunity to show baseball at its best—by leading with fair play, equal welcome, and constructive engagement of Faith Driven Consumers” Chris noted.
“FDC is not asking MLB to reduce, diminish, or withdraw its welcome for any other community,” Chris stated, “FDC is inviting MLB to extend the same kind of welcome, embrace, celebration, and affirmation to Faith Driven Consumers that institutions already extend to other recognized communities.”
FDC’s Add-Us-In public call and accountability standard begins with a simple yes-or-no question: “Will an institution Welcome, Embrace, Celebrate, and Affirm Faith Driven Consumers equally?” The answer is reported through the Faith Equality Index (FEI). A yes is then brought to life through FDC’s Corporate Pledge, which provides a clear and measurable path for equal engagement, visible respect, and sustained follow-through.
“FDC’s request is simple, voluntary, and made in good faith,” Stone said. “Faith Driven Consumers are already part of baseball as fans, families, players, employees, partners, and members of the communities MLB serves. This is an opportunity for MLB and FDCs to move forward constructively together.”
FDC noted that MLB was invited first because of baseball’s national visibility, its historic cultural role, and the timing of All-Star Week. FDC believes MLB can set a constructive example for hundreds of major American brands, institutions, sports leagues, and sponsors that will subsequently be invited to answer the same Add-Us-In question.
“The Faith Equality Index gives Faith Driven Consumers a clear way to understand where institutions stand, and the Corporate Pledge gives institutions a constructive way to turn a yes into visible and sustained action. Fair play is one of baseball’s most enduring ideals,” Stone said.
“This is a moment for MLB to model that ideal beyond the field.”
Read our letter to Commissioner Manfred at: faithdrivenconsumer.com/letter/
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About FDC:
Faith Driven Consumer (FDC) is a national movement of Christ-followers whose faith shapes everyday choices in the marketplace, workplace, and public culture. FDC represents approximately 41 million core Faith Driven Consumers in the United States, within a broader universe of roughly 90 million Americans whose Christian faith meaningfully shapes their economic decisions. Through research, consumer engagement, brand analysis, public campaigns, and direct corporate outreach, FDC works to ensure Faith Driven Consumers are welcomed, embraced, celebrated, and affirmed equally. To learn more visit www.faithdrivenconsumer.com.
About Chris Stone:
Chris Stone is Founder of Faith Driven Consumer and a Certified Brand Strategist. He has spent decades identifying, measuring, and representing Faith Driven Consumers and leads FDC’s Add Us In public call and accountability standard for equal affirmation, which calls on all institutions to Welcome, Embrace, Celebrate, and Affirm Faith Driven Consumers equally through visible respect, meaningful engagement, policy clarity, and measurable proof of performance.
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