Several Rays Pitchers Choose Not To Wear LGBT Insignia On Pride Night

We are now in Pride Month so it is not uncommon for professional sporting teams to host their Pride Nights. Tampa Bay Rays hosted theirs Saturday. In which LGBT persons were included in pregame activities, they handed pride flags to all 19,000+ people who attended. In addition, the “TB” and sunburst logos on the Rays uniforms were rainbow-colored to show an added level of support.

Today, our #PrideOur sleeves pic.twitter.com/bcOLJNhx6Y

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) June 4, 2022

Rays pitchers decided to not participate in the gesture to keep true to their faith.

Jason Adam, Jalen Beeks, Brooks Raley, Jeffrey Springs, and Ryan Thompson all decided to not wear the rainbow-colored patches on their jerseys during Saturday’s game against the Chicago White Sox due to their faith in Jesus.

“So it’s a hard decision…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,” Adam, the chosen spokesperson for this group of pitchers, said.

Adam’s words were very clear. He never said that he thinks he or his teammates are better than anyone in the LGBT community, because true and honest Christians would agree that everyone has “sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). His response to the question is remarkable because he and his teammates are unwaveringly committed to their faith, even in times and cultures where it’s easy to forget it. This is why they don’t face any backlash.

It was predictable that there would be a lot of criticism after the decision became public.

Cyd Zigler (outsports contributor) wrote an answer to the Rays’ players. It called the Rays leaders homophobic for not getting these gay sports journalists to believe differently.

“Unfortunately, the Rays management approached this differently, allowing homophobia amongst a handful of 20-somethings to drive the uniforms that some of the players wore,” Zigler wrote.

Also, he tried to convince the Bible that pride insignia was permissible to these men.

Will someone please show me the Bible passage that says “Thou shalt not wear a rainbow on thou’s clothing”…https://t.co/erj3ksEkjo https://t.co/M2OIHG8zdu

— Cyd Zeigler (@CydZeigler) June 6, 2022

Romans 2:22-27 states that homosexuality should be condemned by Christians. This is why pride flags and pride logos are acceptable.

Related: NASCAR Apologizes to LGBTQ Fascists For Allowing Gov. Abbott will wave the Green Flag

Jack Flaherty of the St. Louis Cardinals also participated in the shame game, ridiculing the pitchers’ beliefs. This is ironic because Flaherty includes a Bible verse as his Twitter bio.

absolute joke https://t.co/LKzBZU77wf

— Jack Flaherty (@Jack9Flaherty) June 6, 2022

So not only is he shaming these men unnecessarily, but he’s also discouraging men that he should be claiming as brothers in his faith.

No matter how the outcome of the pitchers’ decisions will affect the future, Adams and his buddies are admirable because they stood up to corruption in culture. We need more of them.