A Record Number Of Fans Showed Up To Help The Rays Honor The Orlando Victims

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The Tampa Bay Rays currently have the second-worst average attendance in the major leagues, ahead of only the Indians. The Rays average around 16,800 tickets per game, but on Friday night, they had a paid attendance of over 40,000, the most for the team since the 2006 home opener.

What was the reason for the sudden surge in attendance for a random June game against the Giants? The Rays were hosting a Pride night to honor the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting, which ended up bringing a ton of fans to the ballpark.

Tampa Bay sold so many tickets that they had to allow some obstructed view seats, which normally are only sold during postseason games. Fans who attended the game received a pride shirt, and the team announced that it would donate all of the proceeds of the game to charity, resulting in more than $300,000 being raised.

Tampa Bay Times photographer Will Vragovic snapped some powerful pictures of the fans at the game that he posted to his Twitter.

The Giants may have beaten the Rays 5-1, but that’s hardly what anyone will remember from this event. Sports (specifically baseball) have helped communities deal with tragedy before, and the Rays and their fans more than did their part in helping the state heal after the devastating events of last week.

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