Tampa Bay Rays players wore T-shirts emblazoned with the Venezuelan flag on Wednesday as a show of support to teammates and those in the organization from Venezuela.
Rays players wore shirts with the Venezuelan flag on them to support teammates
The country is dealing with political unrest, violence, and food shortages.
@TBTimes_Rays/Twitter
The country has been dealing with political unrest and violence recently, on top of a drastic food shortage that has affected large percentages of the population this year.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Wilson Ramos, one of Venezuelan nationals on the team, said of the gesture, “It’s good support for the people there” and indicated that Chris Archer was the organizer of the whole thing.
Archer explained the decision to wear the shirts as,
“We thought it would be a good time to show support of our teammates and coaches that have to deal with a lot more adversity in their home country than we do right now. I don’t know the details of the whole situation (in Venezuela). I just know that I don’t have to worry about people in North Carolina the same way they have to worry about people in Venezuela. So it’s the thought: We love you guys and we’re praying for you guys and we’re wishing the best for you guys.”
Manager Kevin Cash also gave his thoughts on the situation, saying,
“It’s a show of support. Major League Baseball, minor league baseball. Players, coaches, staff. There’s a lot of people that have ties to Venezuela. It’s a show of support that it’s a difficult time right now.”
With the Rays’ game against the Red Sox on Wednesday night on national television, it’s a high-profile opportunity to draw attention to a political and human rights situation that many baseball fans may not know about.
It’s also a reminder that no matter how invested we get in things, baseball is still just a game and there are issues in the world that hit close to home for MLB players and employees happening all the time.
The ongoing situation in Venezuela is just one of them.
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