$800,000,000-worth Rays owner receives cold reception at Rockies game as fans call for him to sell team

The Tampa Bay Rays have gone from being perennial postseason contenders to an uncompetitive team in a couple of years. With pressure from MLB as well to sell the team, owner Stu Sternberg saw defiance building against him from fans as well now.

Sternberg, who's worth $800 million (via Celebrity Net Worth), is facing the heat for walking away from a stadium deal in St. Petersburg, a report from The Athletic said.

The Rays started their season on Friday against the Colorado Rockies. They recorded a 3-2 win but not before chants of "sell the team" took over during the seventh inning, when the Rockies were up 2-0.

Fans blamed Sternberg for the team’s lack of significant investment, both in players and in securing a long-term stadium solution.

One wrote:

"I thought that’s what I heard."

Meanwhile, another compared the situation to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, emphasizing that ownership is the root issue, saying:

"remember when they said that about the Bucs, look what time accomplished, team not the issue, it’s the owner who has no passion, Glazers put their heart/soul into the Bucs."

Some fans pointed to the on-field struggles. One added:

"Team is trash, bases loaded, one out, get nothing."

Others were more direct, as one fan said:

"I mean, Stu does need to sell the team!"

One user even shared a video where a fan directly asks Sternberg to sell the team.

"Hell they want the team sold too," another added.

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What's going on with Rays owner Stu Sternberg, stadium deal in St. Petersburg and MLB's concerns?

An earlier report from The Athletic claimed that Stu Sternberg "is being pressured to sell his team by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and some other owners."

Edward DeBartolo Jr. is among those interested in buying the Rays if the team is up for sale. Tampa businessman Dan Doyle Jr. is a part of another investment group interested in buying the Rays.

With reports of potential selling, the MLB is concerned about where it leaves its future in Florida. The same report also said that the Ybor City neighborhood near downtown Tampa could emerge as a potential destination if the stadium deal in St. Petersburg doesn't work out.

It has been 17 years, but still no long-term solution when it comes to the stadium, which is giving the league office cold feet on the prospects of Sternberg finding a long-term plan.

As we head deeper into the season, a key date looms large on Sternberg. The March 31 deadline by which the owner is obligated to do everything in his power to push for the $1.3 billion stadium deal in St. Pete. If not, MLB could push for a case to remove him from ownership.