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Players have some leeway with on-field style - the length of their pants, the angle of their caps, the colors of their arm sleeves, and so on. "Acknowledging that people are people and all fans are welcome, that's not something you should be able to opt out of." "When people use their interpretation of religion to justify discrimination against people for the way they were born, it's really an indictment of them and their faith," said the author Andrew Maraniss, who wrote a biography of Burke, who died in 1995, titled "Singled Out" that published last year.
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Petersburg - despite the Rays' best intentions - showed how far the movement still has to go. The Rays held their promotion the day after the Dodgers had honored the memory of Glenn Burke, a former outfielder for the team who was the first major leaguer to have come out as gay, at the team's LGBTQ+ Pride Night in Los Angeles. Words like "lifestyle" and "behavior" are widely known tropes often interpreted as a polite cover for condemning gay culture. Yet by allowing the players to opt out of the promotion - and to use the platform to endorse an opposite viewpoint - the Rays undercut the message of inclusion they were trying to send. The organization wanted to share its values with the uniforms, Silverman said, but would not force players to comply if they were uncomfortable. That's a really good byproduct of this: to be able to actually have these conversations is really valuable and rare."Īs a low-payroll team that challenges convention, the Rays prioritize clubhouse harmony without buy-in from players, their unorthodox on-field strategies might not work. "I'm also proud of the conversations we had during the run-up to this night and in the aftermath. "I'm proud of the fact we did this and so many of our players chose to wear the logo," Silverman said.
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In an interview on Sunday, Rays President Matt Silverman said the issue had sparked dialogue in the team's clubhouse about valuing different perspectives. 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."Īdam added that "we love these men and women, we care about them, and we want them to feel safe and welcome here." Because ultimately we all said what we want is them to know that all are welcome and loved here. "A lot of it comes down to faith, to like a faith-based decision," he said. The team selected Adam, a 30-year-old right-hander, to explain the players' decision. The Tampa Bay Times listed five players - the other three, pitchers Jason Adam, Jeffrey Springs and Ryan Thompson, did not play in the Rays' 3-2 loss Saturday to the Chicago White Sox - among those who did not wear the rainbow insignias. “Acknowledging that people are people and all fans are welcome, that's not something you should be able to opt out of.” Author Andrew Maraniss