Woke-bashing of the week: GB News can’t decide whether the NFL supports Pride Month, but still declares a Trump triumph
Is the NFL actually distancing itself from Pride Month, or is GB News selectively presenting evidence to fit a preferred political narrative?
Pride Month is underway, but rather than recognising the annual global observance celebrating LGBTQ+ history, visibility and the ongoing struggle for equality, GB Newschose to celebrate the National Football League’s (NFL) apparent decision to distance itself from the event.
In a triumphant report, the broadcaster heralded what it described as the “latest corporate heel-turn on woke culture in America,” pointing to how the NFL’s official X and Instagram accounts, which collectively reach almost 70 million followers, did not publish dedicated Pride Month messages on June 1.
The article gloats that how, in previous years, the league had posted messages such as “Football is for everyone” and wished followers a “Happy Pride,” and how this year, nine of the NFL’s 32 teams also refrained from making Pride-related posts on the opening day of the month.
Yet moments later, the right-wing outlet acknowledges that the NFL’s official X account actively reposted Pride Month messages from several franchises, including the New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Houston Texans and Carolina Panthers.
So, is the NFL actually distancing itself from Pride Month, or is GB News selectively presenting evidence to fit a preferred political narrative?
The article goes on to note that the NFL still maintains a Pride section on its official website, though it emphasises that the page appears not to have been updated for several years.
The channel is also forced to concede that other major American sports organisations have continued to mark Pride Month publicly. Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League all issued Pride-related messages on social media.
But even that is not where the story ends, as the report turns its attention to Donald Trump.
Readers are reminded that Trump has repeatedly called on sports teams to reverse changes made during the social and political upheavals of 2020, including urging the NFL’s Washington Commanders to restore their former name, the Redskins.
The franchise abandoned the name during the Black Lives Matter protests, initially rebranding as the Washington Football Team before adopting the Commanders identity in 2022.
The article notes Trump’s threat to block the team’s proposed stadium deal unless it reverted to its former name. What it doesn’t dwell on is the fact that the stadium agreement ultimately proceeded without any name change.
Nevertheless, Trump emerges as the unmistakable protagonist of the piece. The headline itself leaves little doubt about how readers are expected to interpret events: “NFL teams shun Pride Month as tide turns on woke under Donald Trump.”
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