Some Rays Players Opt Not to Wear Pride Night-Themed Hat, Patches

Some players on the team did not want to participate in Pride Night.

The 16th Pride Night was held at the field. The "TB" on their caps and the sunburst on their right jersey sleeves is the first time a rainbow-colored logo has been added to the uniforms of a baseball team.

More than half of the players appeared to participate, according to a report. The pitchers who wore the standard hats were among the players who wore the sunburst on theirsleeves.

Adam was elected by team officials to speak about opting out of wearing uniforms.

"A lot of it comes down to faith, to like a faith-based decision. So it’s a hard decision. Because ultimately we all said what we want is them to know that all are welcome and loved here. 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, just like (Jesus) encourages me as a heterosexual male to abstain from sex outside of the confines of marriage. It's no different. 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. But again, we love these men and women, we care about them, and we want them to feel safe and welcome here."

Kevin Kiermaier says that he was raised to treat people equally, even though he has a different opinion.

My parents taught me to love everyone as they are, and to live my life according to my preferences. This is a family-friendly environment at a big league ball field and I can't speak for everyone who is here. We want everyone to feel welcome and appreciated. No matter what you think about something.

Kevin Cash said after the game that he doesn't think it will divide the team.

"First and foremost, I think the organization has done a good thing to have Pride Nights supporting our gay community to come out and have a nice night at the ballpark." We want to support our players that choose to wear or not wear to the best of our capabilities, because we were impressed that our players have had those conversions.

Florida's governor signed a law banning classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity for kids in kindergarten to third grade.

Despite the state government's attempts to marginalize the LGBTQ+ community, the Rays have continued to support it. The first pro sports team to sign an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court supporting same-sex marriage was the Bolts.

Saturday's Pride Night had an attendance of 19,454, while the average for the season is 16,866. The final game of the series was attended by 11,161.