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The New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays are sharing facts about gun violence on their social media accounts instead of posting updates from their game. The two Major League Baseball teams announced the collaboration on Thursday, citing the recent mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde.
“In lieu of game coverage and in collaboration with the Tampa Bay Rays, we will be using our channels to offer facts about the impacts of gun violence,” the Yankees tweeted Thursday evening. “The devastating events that have taken place in Uvalde, Buffalo and countless other communities across our nation are tragedies that are intolerable.”
The Rays tweeted: “This cannot become normal. We cannot become numb. We cannot look the other way. We all know, if nothing changes, nothing changes.”
The Florida team said it donated $50,000 to Everytown for Gun Safety’s support fund, adding that it partnered with the organization to “amplify facts about gun violence in America” on its Twitter account.
‘We understand that no single organization can solve this crisis alone, but working together, we can make an impact,” the Rays said. “We invite you to join us and do what you can, when you can, where you can – because our lives depend on it.”
Nineteen students and two teachers were killed when a gunman opened fire in Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday. The mass shooting came just over a week after a gunman entered a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, killing 10 people.
During the game, which started at 6:40 p.m. in Tampa, the teams shared dozens of statistics on their Twitter and Instagram accounts.
The Yankees won 7-2.
