The Tampa Bay Rays took the go-big-or-go-home mentality found in extreme sports to heart for their City Connect uniforms.
Tampa Bay unveiled the skateboarding-inspired look Monday at Tropicana Field:
The Rays organization sees similarities between itself and an underground culture that celebrates creative and bold expression through skateboarding and street art in areas like Central Avenue in St. Petersburg or the streets of Ybor City in Tampa:
"When we started thinking about that feeling that you have when you're in some of these really special places around this community, it's fueled by this energy," Rays chief business officer Bill Walsh said, according to Adam Berry of MLB.com. "A lot of these types of countercultures, creative cultures, they're really at the center of that in terms of creating that vibe."
Tampa Bay will debut the new uniforms Friday against the New York Mets before dawning the attire every Saturday home game and for two road contests versus the Atlanta Braves on June 15 and St. Louis Cardinals on Aug. 7.