It’s looking like the ripple effects of the Bud Light boycott are still with us.
2024 marked the biggest cultural shift across the NFL with 9 franchises “boycotting” statements to mark the beginning of pride month.
Rainbow recognition often varies between the 32 teams; some will release a statement, add the rainbow colors to their profiles, or mix between the two. In course, the NFL reposts some of these messages if it doesn’t release its own.
This year, however, saw a notable absence among 9 franchises, namely the Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, and Tennessee Titans.
(The Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions, while late to the party, have since put out pro-pride posts).
It is of course important to remember that non-compliance does not mean opposition. None of the 9 franchises have stressed any objections to the virtue signaling; instead, they have simply opted not to take part in it. Regardless, in an era where putting out such statements is as certain as the sun coming up tomorrow, an absence of one is almost certainly a calculated move.
There could be a myriad of reasons for nearly one-third of the league maintaining silence. After all, the U.S. is deeply divided at present, with sports offering an escape from political debate. It’s not unreasonable to allow sports fans to enjoy the spectacle away from the day-to-day political arguments.
There’s also an argument to be made that corporations participate in pride month festivities as a form of virtue signaling. If the general trend is in favor of rainbow colors, then large companies may take part in the charade to avoid being canceled.
How has your team reacted to pride month? Do you think they should engage with it, or is it just more virtue signaling that sports could do without? Let us know in the comments below.
PPROUD OF MY COWBOYS , EEEEYEAH
had that comment bottled up for years, didn’t you? 🙂
So cold…but so funny.
Just one more reason I have never regretted tuning out this odious league – and ultimately, ALL sports. This generation of pampered deviants are absolutely unworthy of even a scintilla of the admiration bestowed upon their forerunners, now in the DISTANT past. Again, I offer: Did America function as a prosperous nation before we made idols out of low IQ cretins simply because they can run fast, jump high, and catch and throw things? Was America not a beacon of liberty and morality before it built enormous temples for its idolatry (which are filled to capacity on Sundays, Monday nights, and now Thursday nights – and that’s just the National Felons League)? There was a time when sports via ESPN were constantly on my TV. I have for years been one who has cut the cord. I don’t miss it and I pray for every sport – including NCAA Div. 1 – to implode. Oh, a final thought, as one who grew up in the shadows of the Lombardi Packers: You, Green Bay Packers, now officially suck.
You’re not wrong. And it’s not just athletes. Society in general was much better when actors/entertainers were considered one step above vagrants on the social hierarchy.
AFC dominates the list of nine teams.
I don’t watch football anymore but these teams deserve our support. We are quick to bitch when they are out their virtue signaling.
The NFL is not a sport. They’re registered – intentionally – as “entertainment.”