An Attempt at Inclusion Proves There Is More Work to Do
nytimes.comSomething was missing in the top of the eighth inning on Saturday at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Tampa Bay Rays used two relief pitchers that inning — the left-handers Brooks Raley and Jalen Beeks — who wore jerseys without a patch on their right sleeve.
This was not a manufacturer’s error or an equipment manager’s mistake. The patch was the Rays’ starburst emblem rendered in rainbow colors, like the “TB” logo on the team’s cap, as part of the team’s Pride Night promotion.
Raley, Beeks and a few other teammates chose to wear caps and jerseys without the rainbow accents. Credit the Rays for trying.
They are one of three teams, along with the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers, to incorporate Pride Night symbolism onto their uniforms.
