Supporters Groups are essential in the sport of soccer but slowly this trend is finding its way into other sports like hockey and baseball. With groups like “The 7 Line Army” the supporters group of the New York Mets, its time for the Tampa Bay Rays to have their own supporters group, we are The Rays Republic!
The Rays always get a bad rap for having no fans at the Trop, but with the hype built off last years playoff run and the glimpses of hope so far in this social distanced 2020 MLB Season, I feel fans will be ready to get back in the Trop and support the ball club more than ever.
With only cut outs being allowed at games for the 2020 season The Rays Republic has had time to plan out their inaugural 2021 season. All the Saturday home games are separated by Blue and Yellow representing the color the Supporters will wear for that game. Once game plans are made available the group will be offering tickets to support the club presumably in section 134/136 over in the right field corner. Rays Republic shirts will be included in the ticket package. If you already have season tickets don’t worry, you can still buy the shirt and membership separate even if you are not sitting in the section. I feel that this is a great option allowing The Rays Republic to spread across the entire Trop. By next year the group will have all the chants ready to get the Trop loud and rocking, my personal favorite being the “Choi!!” chant for Ji-Man.
With groups like “Sticks Of Fire” supporters of the Lightning and Ralph’s Mob supporters of the Tampa Bay Rowdies, I see no reason why the Rays can’t have their own supporters group. It’s actually a great step at building a loyal fan base inside the ball park, yet another reason not to move the team out of the Tampa Bay Area. For more information on The Rays Republic follow their Instgram @theraysrepublic.