The Orlando City SC, the professional soccer team based in Florida, will promote games with only black-and-white images on its social media sites in deference to Sunday’s nightclub shooting.
The attack was the deadliest shooting in the history of the United States, killing 49 people and injuring 53, police said.
In an open letter to the City Beautiful, a nickname for Orlando, the MLS team expressed condolences to the victims and their families, and thanked the police, first responders and medics who saved lives at Pulse nightclub.
It also said it “will not celebrate or promote our four upcoming games as we normally would.”
“In a small effort to show our respect for the victims and their families leading up to the game weekend, you will see us using only black and white images across our social media channels,” the team wrote. “We will work with our fans, our players, our partners and our community to ensure the horrific events of 6/12 will not be forgotten.”
Orlando City SC hopes sports can act as a unifier for the city, as the players prepare for a home game scheduled for Saturday.
“We will announce our plans tomorrow for Saturday’s game, but rest assured that we are working with all the community’s sports teams to ensure that we show the world just how strong and resilient our community is,” the letter read.
“We will do everything within our power to show the world that #OrlandoUnited cannot be defeated,” the statement concluded.
