“Pride Night” at the Tampa Bay Rays baseball game this Friday is being dedicated to the victims of the Orlando mass shooting. And all remaining tickets are priced at $5 to make the game more accessible, said Rays President Brian Auld.
“We knew we wanted to harness what I think is one of baseball’s unique qualities – which is that it can be a place where we can bring tens of thousands of people together, to heal, to unite, to stand in solidarity,” Auld said. “This isn’t the first time this has happened in baseball history. And we thought, as the Tampa Bay Rays, we want to make that happen in light of this particular incident.”
The Rays are looking for the community solidarity that was shown at the Yankees game after the 9-11 attacks and the Boston Red Sox game after the marathon bombing.
Proceeds from the $5 tickets will be donated to the shooting victims’ families. And all attending the Friday game against the San Francisco Giants will receive a “We Are Orlando” T-shirt with the Rays’ signature star burst pattern in rainbow colors.
The Rays have strong ties to the LGBT community as do their opponents, the San Francisco Giants. He said they are the only two Major League Baseball teams to sign-on to the Supreme Court brief in favor of gay marriage.
Auld said more than 5,000 tickets sold within the first few hours after announcing “Pride Night” changes.
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