DeSantis Denies Tampa Bay Rays Financing Due to Pro-Gun Control Views

First, Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis targeted Disney for their opposition to the state's "Don't Say Gay Bill" by taking away their special governing status. 

Now DeSantis has taken aim at the Tampa Bay Rays. Last week, following the massacre of school children in Uvalde, Texas as well as the mass murder of African-American shoppers in Buffalo, the Rays along with the New York Yankees used their social media platforms to discuss gun violence while the Rays also made a $50,000 donation to Everytown for Gun Safety.

Yesterday, DeSantis issued a line item veto to allocate $35 million to the team to build a player development facility in Pasco County. At a press conference DeSantis stated it would be "inappropriate to subsidize political activism of a private corporation." DeSantis also added, "I don't support giving taxpayer dollars to professional sports stadiums."

Let's be clear. Had the Rays saw fit to praise the Second Amendment on their social media accounts or donated to DeSantis' re-election campaign, the money would be on its way to the Rays. If the Rays held these views then DeSantis would be more than happy to subsidize them.

It will be interesting to see if DeSantis also goes after the Yankees which have a spring training facility in Tampa Bay as well as their Single-A affiliate the Tampa Bay Tarpons. 

DeSantis' move also makes me question the Rays future in Tampa Bay. The Rays lease at Tropicana Field expires after the 2027 season. If DeSantis is still in office or a DeSantis acolyte is Governor by then I suspect the team will be headed elsewhere most likely Montreal. If DeSantis isn't prepared to allocate funds to the Rays to build a player development facility then he sure as hell won't provide any funding for a new ballpark.

Again, one can certainly argue against public funding for sports teams and companies valued at a billion dollars. But the only reason the Rays now find themselves in this situation is because Ron DeSantis would rather see children murdered than for the Rays to espouse views contrary to his own.