Trop! In the Name of Love
Trop! In the Name of Love: A Tribute to America’s Ballpark
My first visit to the Trop took place on Friday, August 25, 2023, three days before my 26th birthday. I attended two Rays vs. Yankees games at the Trop that weekend in the first year of my Rays birthday trip tradition. As someone who has lived in New York her whole life (and still does), the irony was not lost on me that I flew over 1,000 miles to watch the Rays play at home against one of my actual “home” teams.
This trip felt like it was a long time coming. I’ve only been a Rays fan since 2020—it’s a fun story about Game 4 of the 2020 World Series—but I fell deeply and quickly in love with the team. I had hoped to start my birthday trip tradition sooner than I actually did, but the COVID-19 pandemic plus the fact that I was still living at home with my parents made traveling difficult in 2021 and 2022.
So I was thrilled to finally get to see the Rays for my birthday in 2023, and it felt extra special to kick off the tradition at the Rays’ own home: Tropicana Field, America’s Ballpark. I’ve grown accustomed to seeing the Rays play when they’re “on the road,” always surrounded by the opposing team’s fans, so there was something about stepping into the dome for the first time that made me feel at home at last. Friday’s game was Devil Rays Day and I was sitting in “Randyland,” back when that was still a thing with Randy Arozarena on the team. I also got to be on camera while sitting in that section. For Saturday’s game, I mistakenly had the wrong start time on my itinerary, so I arrived a half-inning late and missed Carl Crawford’s Hall of Fame induction pregame ceremony. Even still, Saturday’s game was at least a Rays win; the Rays split the two games I saw against the Yankees.
Going into the 2024 season, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to make it back to the Trop because my biggest priorities, of course, are my birthday trip and visiting a new ballpark every year. With the season coming to an end, and—to be honest—a lot of FOMO while looking at cheap flight options, I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to return to the Trop in mid-September. I got to see two games against the Red Sox and one against the Blue Jays.
Some of my best memories are from this last trip to the Trop, which happened to be only a week before Hurricane Helene hit Florida. With kind invitations from fellow Rays fan Zoe Hummel, I had the opportunity to sit in the Home Plate Club for two games—that is the closest I’ve ever been to the action at a baseball game. And even though I had seen the roof lighting the year before, I felt more drawn to it this time around for some reason (Devil Rays colors, in particular, look stunning on the Trop’s roof). I took a ton of photos while sitting under the Trop’s lights, many of which you can find scattered across Trop! In the Name of Love’s website.
I created Trop! In the Name of Love to honor and commemorate the Trop. The project is a website that collects and highlights stories about the Trop. Rays fans have contributed the most stories so far, but anyone who has been to the Trop and would like to share a positive story is welcome to do so.
What I particularly love about Trop! In the Name of Love (other than its name) is the uniqueness in the variety of memories that people choose to share about the Trop; the breadth of stories that have been published thus far is incredible. There are stories from non-local Rays fans (just like me!), as well as stories from fans who have lived in Tampa Bay for practically their whole lives. And while the idea that the Trop feels like “home” is mentioned in a lot of stories, each story is truly unique: One person talks about experiencing Game 162 live, another recalls visiting his grandfather in Tampa and seeing a Rays game in person with him, and a third reflects on his son learning to walk at the Trop (perhaps the cutest story).
It’s a shame that the Trop was demolished much sooner than expected—and at the hands of nature. Even more disappointing is the possibility that Rays fans won’t be able to say goodbye to the Trop and that she won’t get a proper send-off. However, I hope that Trop! In the Name of Love will serve as a community where Trop memories can live on. I’m excited to see how the project continues to grow.
Tropicana Field
Project: Trop! In the Name of Love: Website & Submissions
Sandy and the Rays
Website: sandyandtherays.com
Instagram: @sandyandtherays
Just an NYC gal who loves baseball and the Tampa Bay Rays.