Last Night The Yankees and Rays Tweet About Gun Violence Instead of Game Stuff During Their Game
In the wake of the Texas elementary school shooting, the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays posted from their official Twitter accounts during their game last night (May 26th) about the toll of gun violence in the U.S., instead of the usual game-related things teams usually tweet about during a game.
The teams cited statistics, such as that guns were the leading cause of death for children and teens in the U.S. in 2020, the average number of 4,500 veterans who die by suicide each year using guns, and that a young Black man dies in a gun homicide every three hours. The Rays also said the team had pledged $50,000 to the gun control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety, stating, "This cannot become normal. We cannot become numb."
Tampa Bay also pledged to make a $50,000 donation to a national gun violence prevention organization. The Rays, who have more than 650,000 followers, also changed their Twitter header to an image reading "End Gun Violence."
(NBC News)