On Tuesday, after eight days of relative silence from the Tampa Bay Rays and Tampa Bay Rowdies, following the senseless murder of George Floyd by members of the Minneapolis Police Department, they became the first professional sports organizations to align with protesters and those adamantly opposed to racism, by wording a very strongly phrased statement and committing funds toward anti-racist causes. In doing so, the teams acknowledged that police brutality is endemic in communities across the United States, as well as the “evils of systemic and institutionalized racism.”
Our country is mourning the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and so many others who have perished unnecessarily,” the Rays and Rowdies said in the statement. “The evils of systemic and institutionalized racism continue to plague our nation. We know that, all too often, these cases are dismissed or excused without justice being served.
Black Lives Matter. Police brutality is inhumane. We fully support the protests exercising their civil rights. We stand with black families living in fear. Our country demands better than this for its people. We can’t breathe.
— Tampa Bay Rays and Rowdies
The public acknowledgment of state-sponsored violence is only the first step. The Rays and Rowdies also committed $100,000 per year to support causes in the fight against systemic racism.
Words are not enough and have never been enough. Over the coming days and weeks, we will identify and share these organizations with you, and do our best to amplify their vital messages. Our committee on Diversity and Inclusion will be responsible for directing those funds.
— Tampa Bay Rays and Rowdies
Per Daniel Russell (DRaysBay), a few players made personal gestures of solidarity by participating in Blackout Tuesday on Instagram, including Blake Snell, Michael Perez, Colin Poche, Diego Castillo, Ryan Yarbrough, and Daniel Robertson.
The free market cannot magically solve the problems that affect our lives, like racism and wealth inequality. It is up to our elected leaders to help level the playing field for all of us, and it is up to us to hold those leaders accountable when they do not. That is why we exercise our first amendment rights and, in an ideal world, vote crap politicians out of office (cough, November is just six months away). However, taken at face value, the Rays and Rowdies have become very public advocates for people of color, which is fantastic.
How can you be part of the solution?
- Listen to people of color without being defensive.
- Do not dehumanize “criminals.”
- Make it a voting issue in your area.
- Use your privilege.
- Go out and protest safely; we are in the midst of a pandemic after all.
- Donate to victims’ families, anti-racist organizations, bail, legal fees, etc.
- Record police encounters responsibly.
- Push to remove and punish bad police officers.
- Participate in the M4BL Week of Action.
- Support black and brown owned businesses. Green Book Tampa Bay is an excellent resource, use it!
- Utilize words of wisdom by authors, journalists, and musicians that are (or have been) in the trenches. Some recommendations: Run The Jewels, Public Enemy, Dr. Cornel West, Angela Davis, Dead Prez, Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Amy Goodman/Democracy Now among others.