Why? According to pitcher Jason Adam, who spoke for the group of five, "a lot of it comes down to faith.” The group did not want to encourage LGBTQ+ ideology because of their Christian faith.

“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. It’s no different.”

The Tampa Bay Ray rays have a record of taking liberal political stances.

• Last week, the Tampa Bay Rays issued a public stance supporting gun control. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed $35 million in government spending for a new Tampa Bay Rays facility following the announcement.
• In 2015, the team was one of the first sports teams to sign a brief with the Supreme Court to support same-sex marriage.