Yanks, Rays team up for gun violence awareness
7: 57 PM ET
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Joon LeeESPN
- Previously a Staff Writer at Bleacher Report
Cornell University graduate
While their players competed against each other on the field, the social media teams for the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees collaborated Thursday night in an effort to raise awareness about gun violence in the United States. In the wake of recent mass shootings at Buffalo, New York and Uvalde in Texas, both teams decided to use their platforms to share “facts about guns in America” rather than providing commentary on Thursday’s game.
” We all deserve safety in schools, grocery shops, places of worship and our homes, as well as in our neighborhoods, homes, and America,” the Rays stated prior to the first pitch. “The recent shootings in Buffalo, Uvalde and elsewhere have shaken us to our core.
” This cannot be normal. We cannot become numb. We can’t look the other direction. We all know that if nothing changes it will never change. “
Added the Yankees, who have more than 3.6 million Twitter followers: “The devastating events that have taken place in Uvalde, Buffalo and countless other communities across our nation are tragedies that are intolerable. “
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) May 26, 2022
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 26, 2022
Throughout the game, the teams posted the same facts — as well as attributing where they got them — in concert with each other on their respective Twitter feeds. The
MLB team’s social media accounts are often used during games to share video highlights, relay statistics about baseball or exchange funny jokes with other accounts. On Thursday, that was replaced by posts like “Firearms were the leading cause of death for American children and teens in 2020. ”
Tampa Bay also pledged to make a $50,000 donation to a national gun violence prevention organization. The Rays, who have more than 650,000 followers, also changed their Twitter header to an image reading “End Gun Violence. “
The collaboration comes after an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School on Tuesday in Uvalde, Texas. In Buffalo, 10 people were killed on May 14 when an 18-year-old gunman opened fire in a supermarket. Both gunmen were using AR-15-style assault rifles. We understand that no one organization can solve this problem alone,” the Rays stated. “But working together, we are able to make an impact.” “
Several notable sports figures — including Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr — have used their platforms over the past few days to plead for action to combat gun violence.
The Texas school shooting was particularly personal for Rays reliever Brooks Raley, who is from Uvalde and still has family who live in the town. He was a student at the school where the shooting took place.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The author of 5 books, 3 of which are New York Times bestsellers. I’ve been published in more than 100 newspapers and magazines and am a frequent commentator on NPR.
