The Tampa Bay Rays celebrated their 16th Pride Night in their game against the Chicago White Sox on Saturday. But since the team encouraged inclusiveness in society, the idea was far from unifying in the Rays clubhouse.
Several Rays players, including pitchers Jason Adam, Jalen Beeks, Brooks Raley, Jeffrey Springs and Ryan Thompson declined to wear the special caps with a multicolored Tampa Bay logo, opting instead for the everyday ones.
The team also added a rainbow sunburst to the uniform sleeve for the game, similar to what the San Francisco Giants did to support the LGTBQ community. Players and staff were not required to participate and several chose to remove the sticker.
“A lot of it comes down to faith, loving a faith-based decision,” Adam said, according to the Tampa Bay Times. “So it’s a tough decision. Because at the end of the day we’ve all said what we want is for them to know that everyone is welcome and loved here. But when we put it on our body, I think a lot of guys decided it was just a lifestyle that maybe – not that they looked down on anybody or thought differently – it’s just that maybe we didn’t want encourage it if we believe in Jesus, who encouraged us to live a lifestyle that would abstain from this behavior, just as (Jesus) encourages me as a heterosexual man to abstain from sex outside boundaries of marriage. It’s no different.”
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Plans for the Pride Night game, team officials said, had been discussed throughout the organization for several weeks, so the actions of the players who withdrew were not unexpected.
“I think what that’s created is, like, what you’ve heard – lots of conversations and valuing the different perspectives inside the clubhouse, but really appreciating the community that we’re trying to support here,” said said Rays manager Kevin Cash. Time.
The Rays have also openly supported other causes, including autism awareness, racial equality and gun violence awareness. However, they also faced occasional dissent.
Their social media campaign two weeks ago in the wake of the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas may have played a role in Florida Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed a planned $35 million training facility in neighboring Pasco County.
