Tampa Bay Rays: 5 Players Decline to Wear Pride Logo

The Tampa Bay Rays Baseball Team wore their support of Pride Night on Saturday, June 4th. Five of their players, all pitchers, chose not to wear the updated logo with the LGBTQ rainbow colors.

Pitchers Jason Adam, Jalen Beeks, Brooks Raley, Jeffrey Springs, and Ryan Thompson declined to wear the rainbow-colored logo on the caps and jerseys, but their decision was not “judgmental,” Adam told the Tampa Bay Times. 

Adam was selected as the spokesperson who shared that it was a “faith-based decision.”

“So it’s a hard decision,” he said. “We love these men and women, we care about them, and we want them to feel safe and welcome here.”

Adams explained further, saying, “But when we put it on our bodies, I think a lot of guys decided that it’s just a lifestyle that maybe — not that they look down on anybody or think differently — it’s just that maybe we don’t want to encourage it if we believe in Jesus, who’s encouraged us to live a lifestyle that would abstain from that behavior.” “It’s not judgmental. It’s not looking down. It’s just what we believe the lifestyle he’s encouraged us to live, for our good, not to withhold.”

The team’s manager Kevin Cash addressed the matter after the game, saying he didn’t believe it would negatively impact the clubhouse because discussions among the players over the past few weeks were constructive and emphasized the value of differing perspectives.

“Impressed that our players have had those conversions, and we want to support our players that choose to wear or choose not to wear to the best of our capabilities,” he said, according to the AP.