PRESS RELEASE: TAMPA BAY RAYS IGNITE A FIRESTORM ON SOCIAL MEDIA - TAKE EYE OFF BALL WITH ATTACK O

Tampa – Major League Baseball fans and other residents of Tampa Bay have expressed their views over the weekend about the Tampa Bay Ray’s stance on the War memorial at the old Hillsborough County Courthouse and they’re not happy. On Friday afternoon, Tampabay.com posted a story entitled “Rays say move Tampa’s Confederate monument, Lightning won’t weigh in”. The story cites a statement from the baseball team stating they are “are supportive of its removal from the courthouse”. The reaction on social media was intense and unfavorable. One typical exchange: The Andersons post “what do you expect from a #!*& team like Tampa Bay”, with the response from Ms. Davis “I expect them to support this country or get the hell out. Don’t respect it then don’t take the money or privileges it has and go to another country”. All through the weekend, similar posts appear as news of the Ray’s statement filtered out, and in 24 hours, 132 “angry” emojis had appeared on one posting of the article. A large number of comments included the terms ‘burning my gear’, ‘boycott’ and ‘never going to another game’. One baseball fan even posted an open letter to Rays General Manager Erik Neander. Brian Turner said “your organization are ‘out of their league’ in preservation and Florida history”. He added “By an Act of Congress, Confederates (veterans) are U.S. Veterans.” The strong reaction wasn’t just on social media, HK Edgerton, past president of the Asheville, NC Chapter of the NAACP and Southern Civil Rights Activist said, when asked about the Ray’s statement said, “If you go against the Southern flag, and Southern Veterans, you should go someplace else with that team.”

HK Edgerton

Save Southern Heritage - FL also received communications about the issue directly. “We received reports from individuals saying that office staff didn’t know about the statement and in fact, stating the Rays didn’t take positions on things like this" said Save Southern Heritage - FL spokesman David McCallister. A recent poll showed that nearly nine out of ten Hillsborough County voters think the War memorial should not be moved. We hope the report is fake” said McCallister “But whether it was or wasn’t fake news, theRays need to issue a retraction and clear things up” McCallister added. "Most people seem to think they should focus on baseball and not on erase history. They're out of touch with their market, out of step with public opinion and wrong on veterans - three strikes - you're out" McCallister concluded.

SAVE SOUTHERN HERITAGE Inc. is a 501 c(4) public welfare corporation that educates & advocates on behalf of Southern Heritage & History. It was started in 2015 in response to the knee-jerk Anti-Southern institutionalized bullying and “Erase-ism” levied against the people of South Carolina by Governor Nikki Haley, after she broke all previous agreements about how South Carolina’s historical veterans and their symbols should be treated and respected. The Florida branch was activated in mid-January 2016, in response to three initiatives in the Florida Legislature that are part of a hate campaign led by Anti-American extremists, who refuse to respect the various cultures that make up the fabric of Florida’s society. Since that time, it has grown in membership and has been active in Heritage battles throughout Florida including the “W'ell Remember in November Campaign” that resulted in #heritagehater candidates to loose elections in Florida. More info: www.sshfl.org.

XXX