Two Major League Baseball teams, the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays, used their Twitter (NYSE:TWTR) accounts to share information related to gun violence.
What Happened: The teams faced off Thursday night, but opted to forego live tweeting the game’s coverage to focus on gun violence data.
“The devastating events that have taken place in Uvalde, Buffalo and countless other communities across our nation are tragedies that are intolerable,” tweeted the Yankees.
The Rays used their Twitter page to announce a $50,000 donation to the nonprofit Everytown’s for Gun Safety Support Fund.
“We understand that no single organization alone can solve this crisis, but working together we can make an impact” the team tweeted.
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What Else Happened: Reaction to the teams’ tweets was mixed, with roughly half of the teams' fans grumbling about the switch away from baseball and the other appreciating the messages.
Washington Times columnist and comedian Tim Young offered a sarcastic translation of the Yankees’ goals, tweeting, “‘Instead of entertaining you, we're going to preach at you... this is what you need in your life... more politics, no fun or enjoyment of life in hard times.’”
The Twitter account MrMcGuinea took the Rays to task, tweeting, “What do the experts at @RaysBaseball suggest we do? Give me some examples of changes you support. I’m curious about the amount of time you’ve spent critically thinking about this complex issue…”
But on the other hand, John Pavlovitz, pastor and author of “If God is Love, Don’t Be a Jerk,” tweeted to the Yankees, “This is good. Thank you.”
And Twitter user Maureen Fox challenged the Rays by tweeting, “Now support politicians who will effect change--and that doesn't mean the @marcorubio s of the world.”
Photo: St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office / Wikimedia Commons
