Orlando City SC drew a crowd of 37,193 to Saturday night's game against the Earthquakes, and in the match's 49th minute, fans "fell silent as play stopped to honor the 49 victims" of last week's Pulse nightclub shooting, according to Alicia DelGallo of the ORLANDO SENTINEL. The game and the team "fulfilled its role of helping the community shift from grief to healing." MLS Commissioner Don Garber: "I always believe sports has the ability to do more than just be the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. It really can raise the hopes and dreams of people in our communities." Orlando City "dedicated the entire game to the victims and all those affected by the shooting." The traditional MLS anthem was "not played before the national anthem." Instead the Beatles' song, "All You Need is Love" "blared through the speakers." The club followed it by "playing U2's 'In the Name of Love.'" Fans later "sang the national anthem and gave first responders a booming round of applause before kickoff" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 6/19).
PAYING TRIBUTE: In Orlando, Mike Bianchi wrote this was not "just a sporting event; it was a soccer sanctuary; a place for all of us to come together and show that we are -- as the T-shirts say -- #OrlandoUnited." Bianchi: "What better place to gather and galvanize than at a match being played by Orlando City -- a franchise that has built itself on being a medley and melting pot of diverse fandom." It was "truly a 37,193-member soccer support group; a reverberating refuge from the horror and the hate" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 6/19). In DC, Amie Just noted fans at Saturday night's NWSL Orlando Pride-Washington Spirit game "stood on their feet for the entirety of the 49th minute" to honor the victims. There were "several different tributes" throughout the game (WASHINGTON POST, 6/19).
SHOWING PRIDE: In San Jose, Andrew Baggarly noted the Rays scheduled Friday's game against the Giants for their annual Pride Night, and the promotion "became a rallying point" for the region. The response was "so overwhelming that the Rays removed tarps from seating areas in the upper deck." The announced crowd of 40,135 "was the largest regular-season attendance at Tropicana Field" since '06. The Rays "announced during the game that the amount raised would exceed $300,000." Both teams "stood on the field during a moving video tribute and observed a moment of silence before the first pitch while the names of the 49 shooting victims scrolled on the video board." Giants manager Bruce Bochy: "What they came out for and what we acknowledged before the game, it really makes it a meaningful day" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 6/18).
