Tampa Bay Rays host Pride Day this weekend, a year after some players refused to wear rainbow-colored logos

The Rays are giving away a can cooler when they face the Texas Rangers for Pride day this weekend, and all eyes will be on the field for the game, too.

Yes, because the Rays are the best team in baseball right now (the Rangers are close behind), but also because it’s been a year since at least five players decided not to wear rainbow-colored logos on their uniforms and hats, citing an unwavering belief in a gay-hating version of Jesus Christ.

Four of those players—Jason Adam, Jalen Beeks, ​​Jeffrey Springs, Ryan Thompson, all pitchers—are still on the team, but the team declined to comment on CL’s inquiry about whether or not the fellas will forgo the pride patch this weekend.

 Last year, lead bigot boy Thompson said his “nah” on the rainbow logo was a faith-based, “hard,” decision. “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,” he said. “It’s no different.”

OK, dude.

Tickets to Tampa Bay Rays Pride Day on Saturday, June 10 are still available for $47 & up.

This article appears in Jun 1-7, 2023.