Tampa Bay Rays | Players refuse to wear the LGTBQ+ logo on their uniform

Some Tampa Bay Rays players refused to wear the LGBTQ+ logo on their uniforms Saturday at Tropicana Field Pride Night.

Katherine Harvey Pinard
The Press

It’s the 16^e year the Tampa Bay Rays hosted Pride Night [Soirée de la Fierté]. For this year’s edition, the team decided to do like the San Francisco Giants and add rainbow-colored logos of the LGBTQ+ community to their uniform and cap.

Except, here it is: some players refused to wear the logo and opted for the standard cap, the Tampa Bay Times. This is particularly the case for pitchers Jason Adam, Jalen Beeks, Jeffrey Springs, Brooks Raley and Ryan Thompson.

Adam, who acted as the group’s spokesperson, said the decision was “largely” based on their religious beliefs. “It’s a tough decision because ultimately we’ve all said we want them to know that everyone is welcome and loved here,” he explained.

“But by wearing it on their bodies, I think a lot of guys have decided that’s a lifestyle that maybe they don’t want to encourage if they believe in Jesus, who encouraged us to live a lifestyle. life in which one abstains from this kind of behavior, just as Jesus encourages me, as a heterosexual man, to abstain outside the bounds of marriage. It’s no different. »

He clarified that it was not a “matter of judgment”. “We love these men and women, we care about them and we want them to feel safe and welcome here. »

Rays manager Kevin Cash said after the game that the subject had been the source of many constructive discussions in recent weeks. The leaders of the Rays have, ultimately, preferred to give the choice to the players and the staff to display or not the rainbow logo.

Always according to Tampa Bay Times, the Rays have been supporting LGBTQ+ efforts for a long time. Notably, they were the first professional sports team to sign an amicus brief to the United States Supreme Court supporting same-sex marriage.

For Saturday’s game, the organization distributed mini Pride flags in the crowd of more than 19,000 people. She also donated $20,000 to Metro Inclusive Health.