The National Hockey League will not ask its players to wear rainbow-colored jerseys during so-called “pride” nights next season.
The flamboyant digs proved to be such a “distraction” this past season that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman blew the whistle on them this week.
This past season saw numerous players and teams outright refuse to participate in the events in which teams pander to LGBT groups.
To be clear, players will not have to dress up for any cause, Bettman said, so it’s not just about telling the rainbow mafia it’s over (even if it probably is about just that).
During a discussion with Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Bettman proved himself to be a capable businessman.
“It’s taking away from the fact that all of our clubs, in some form or another, host nights in honor of various groups or causes, and we’d rather them continue to get the appropriate attention that they deserve and not be a distraction,” the commissioner said, according to Bleacher Report.
“Pride” nights aren’t going anywhere in the NHL — at least not for now.
But fans who just want to watch hockey without having an agenda of any kind shoved in their face can now view games without seeing their favorite players parade around in silly jerseys.
Of those jerseys, Bettman said they had “become a distraction.”
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The commissioner concluded, “This way, we’re keeping the focus on the game, and on these specialty nights, we’re going to be focused on the cause.”
In a sport with one of the most conservative fanbases, Bettman made the right call.
The 2022-2023 NHL season will probably be remembered as much for the “pride” night circuses as it will be for the team that won the Stanley Cup: The Las Vegas Golden Knights.
Liberals are certain to hate the decision to do away with the kerseys but those are people who generally are always unhappy anyway.
Brothers Eric and Marc Staal of the Florida Panthers will likely be pleased as both refused to don uniforms this year that were at odds with their faith.
Other players in the league also refused to go along with politicizing their sport and there were probably others who sighed and bit the bullet.
At least there is a bit of sanity in professional sports.
Major League Baseball is currently lost after it sacrificed itself to the LGBT mafia — minus the Texas Rangers, who stay out of identity politics and keep their eyes on the ball.
The Anaheim Angeles and the Los Angeles Dodgers each hosted a blasphemous group of crossdressers to mock Christ during their respective “pride celebrations” this month.
It is unclear what the NFL would look like if the season carried on into June.
Thankfully, fans will never have to wonder since the season runs from September to February.
In any event, the NHL has a chance to lead the way by depoliticizing events that are supposed to unite all Americans.
Bettman could finish the job by going banning “pride” nights altogether — along with all other political events.
Baby steps.
