ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The sports are different, but the message is the same: The Rays and Rowdies said they'll commit to $100,000 each year in an effort to fight racial injustice.
The Tampa Bay Rays and Tampa Bay Rowdies issued a joint statement Tuesday, stating they "fully support the protesters exercising their civil rights" following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.
"Black Lives Matter. Police brutality is inhumane," the statement reads, in part. "We stand with black families living in fear.
"Our country demands better than this for its people. We can't breathe."
But the teams said words alone aren't enough, so they plan on donating $100,000 each year to organizations that will be announced later this month.
The statement ends with words from baseball player and civil rights advocate Jackie Robinson, perhaps providing inspiration for the teams to act now.
"Life is not a spectator sport. If you're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you're wasting your life."
The Tampa Bay Rowdies are owned by the Tampa Bay Rays.
What other people are reading right now:
- Sarasota police officer on leave after kneeling on man's neck
- Elderly couple killed in crash in Lakeland
- 'The Bible is not a prop': Church leaders condemn Trump visit
- Brothers 'change the narrative' after protests take a turn in Tampa
- Group takes down huge Confederate flag in Tampa
- More protesters lead march to St. Petersburg Police Department
- Independent autopsy says George Floyd died from 'asphyxiation from sustained pressure'
FREE 10 TAMPA BAY APP:
►Stay In the Know! Sign up now for the Brightside Blend Newsletter
