NHL BoG: No themed Warm Up jerseys next season

[curves2000]

Lets just be honest with ourselves when it comes to this specific situation and it's ok to be honest. No name calling, no no slander, no he's a homophobe, no racist talk etc.

When it comes to this specific situation with Pride jersey's, the NHL is taking the low risk approach to avoid significant issues in the future that will arise 100%. Full stop. People are looking at an issue that is complicated and trying to turn it into a black and white issue when it's not.

We can sit here and debate this all we want but I can guarantee more players had an issue with this privately than we know about and it was reflected possibly in polling. A lot of players might have participated with joy and a lot reluctantly. That's fine. Nobody agrees with everything 100%. Wearing a Pride jersey and participating in breast cancer awareness, hockey supports cancer, military appreciation night or whatever other theme's are available are all not the same thing.

I don't know how I would feel if I was forced to wear a Pride jersey as an NHL player as an example. I support a whole host of issues within that community but find some things strange as do a lot of people. If I was an owner making $100 million in payroll, my views may be different. The notion that straight people would impose beliefs that 2 same sex men who are married should be 100% on board with gender fluidity or gender reassignment surgery for 8 year old's is absurd. We can't bunch in everybody together even within a community like LGBTQ.

I used this example prior and I still haven't been given an answer as to what we do with non white NHL players who have different beliefs in this regard. The NHL is trying to promote "Hockey is for everyone". What do we do with visible minorities and/or people other faiths? Suspend them? Fine them? Bench them? Not draft them? Void contract? Send to the AHL? Mandatory education?

It's just easier to pretend that Pride Jersey night is the same thing as Hockey Fights Cancer and banish both warm up jerseys. Just like it was a lot easier to pretend the NHL gave a crap about race based issues with their diversity committee when after a few years, the minority players involved said it was a total joke.

[GullFoss]

I've been attending pride events since I was 12. And I loved the pride logo for the flames. I basically bought all the merch.

Yet if my employer pushed me to wear a pride insignia or other type of political or cultural uniform, I'd tell them to #### right off. No one should push me to show support for anything, not even for the things I believe in. It's not my employer's place to tell me what social causes to support or what social causes I should be seen supporting.

An employer trying to capitalize on my personal identity - including my social views - is bull####.

[butterfly]

Originally Posted by curves2000

The notion that straight people would impose beliefs that 2 same sex men who are married should be 100% on board with gender fluidity or gender reassignment surgery for 8 year old's is absurd.

Huh?

Originally Posted by curves2000

What do we do with visible minorities and/or other faiths? Suspend them? Fine them? Bench them? Not draft them? Void contract? Send to the AHL? Mandatory education?

Being a minority is a faith?

[Goriders]

I just think they are trying to avoid all of the negative press that got generated when a certain percentage of the players didn’t participate in wearing the warmup jerseys. As someone above said employers shouldn’t force beliefs on their employees whether they are worthy or not.

It put a lot of players in an awkward position as well.

[Fuzz]

Clear to see society still has a long way to go...sheesh.

[gordo67]

All that is happening is they are not wearing the warm-up jerseys. There will still be special nights throughout the season. Merchandise will be sold and you have the option to buy it not. I don’t see an issue with them cutting out the warm-up jerseys.

[woolymammoth]

good thread. 10/10. I like it. I'm going to get flamed on for this post, but traditionally, the ultra-wealthy are more likely to be Conservative in my opinion. Big corporations as of late are taking major backlashes diving into politics trying to be inclusive to every new thing that comes along. This always should have just been left at Hocky fights Cancer and Military appreciation night. This announcement falls in line with that.

they aren't puppets. let them play hockey

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by GullFoss

I've been attending pride events since I was 12. And I loved the pride logo for the flames. I basically bought all the merch.

Yet if my employer pushed me to wear a pride insignia or other type of political or cultural uniform, I'd tell them to #### right off. No one should push me to show support for anything, not even for the things I believe in. It's not my employer's place to tell me what social causes to support or what social causes I should be seen supporting.

An employer trying to capitalize on my personal identity - including my social views - is bull####.

It's a ####ing warmup jersey you throw on for 20 minutes. No one is being asked to change their identity.

It's not like work uniforms/attire which exists everywhere and people wear all the time. Are they being denied their own personal identity?

No, they're not.

It's already been established that it's a way to welcome each of those respective communities, as essentially a shout out. Not to signify you're one of them. i.e. Obviously these players aren't Chinese. You know that the only one they have an issue with is pride. Lumping the rest in an argument is just a cover up for the one specific issue. And it's a pathetic one.

[kipperiggy]

Originally Posted by curves2000

Lets just be honest with ourselves when it comes to this specific situation and it's ok to be honest. No name calling, no no slander, no he's a homophobe, no racist talk etc.

When it comes to this specific situation with Pride jersey's, the NHL is taking the low risk approach to avoid significant issues in the future that will arise 100%. Full stop. People are looking at an issue that is complicated and trying to turn it into a black and white issue when it's not.

We can sit here and debate this all we want but I can guarantee more players had an issue with this privately than we know about and it was reflected possibly in polling. A lot of players might have participated with joy and a lot reluctantly. That's fine. Nobody agrees with everything 100%. Wearing a Pride jersey and participating in breast cancer awareness, hockey supports cancer, military appreciation night or whatever other theme's are available are all not the same thing.

I don't know how I would feel if I was forced to wear a Pride jersey as an NHL player as an example. I support a whole host of issues within that community but find some things strange as do a lot of people. If I was an owner making $100 million in payroll, my views may be different. The notion that straight people would impose beliefs that 2 same sex men who are married should be 100% on board with gender fluidity or gender reassignment surgery for 8 year old's is absurd. We can't bunch in everybody together even within a community like LGBTQ.

I used this example prior and I still haven't been given an answer as to what we do with non white NHL players who have different beliefs in this regard. The NHL is trying to promote "Hockey is for everyone". What do we do with visible minorities and/or people other faiths? Suspend them? Fine them? Bench them? Not draft them? Void contract? Send to the AHL? Mandatory education?

It's just easier to pretend that Pride Jersey night is the same thing as Hockey Fights Cancer and banish both warm up jerseys. Just like it was a lot easier to pretend the NHL gave a crap about race based issues with their diversity committee when after a few years, the minority players involved said it was a total joke.

Tell me you don't know what you're talking about without telling me you don't know what you're talking about.

As a queer person this makes me feel less welcome as an NHL fan with the number of people on social media that are celebrating this move. How sad how far we have to go in 2023.

[Yeah_Baby]

no 8 year old is getting any gender affirming surgeries.
You literally have no idea what you're talking about.

[Moneyhands23]

End of the day the NHL just can't afford to take a bud light kind of hit.

It's Gary choosing buisness over any chance of a boycot.

[JohnnyB]

Well, my hope with this is that instead of wearing special pre-game jerseys this year, the team makes special jerseys available for sale year-round. Just make the pride/CNY/indigenous/cancer etc. jerseys something you can buy any time, then let fans wear them to games as they please.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Moneyhands23

End of the day the NHL just can't afford to take a bud light kind of hit.

It's Gary choosing buisness over any chance of a boycot.

And my reasons for caring about the business interests keep going down.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Possibly unpopular opinion: this is a good thing. The pride night has become all about the jerseys - which are cool - but not really enough about the community initiatives and messaging from the players who ARE supportive of those initiatives. It's also just become a lazy crutch for sportswriters to write gossip columns about "who on your favourite team should be shamed for being a bigot". Plus it's not like they play the game in the pride jerseys, once the puck drops you can't even tell it's pride night.

So, no jerseys? Fine - decorate the living #### out of the arena instead. Rainbow coloured center ice line. Rainbow goal posts. Rainbow towels would be awesome. Create a sponsored "pride parade" section for fans who want to dress up. Make it a whole atmosphere.

[GordonBlue]

Originally Posted by woolymammoth

good thread. 10/10. I like it. I'm going to get flamed on for this post, but traditionally, the ultra-wealthy are more likely to be Conservative in my opinion. Big corporations as of late are taking major backlashes diving into politics trying to be inclusive to every new thing that comes along. This always should have just been left at Hocky fights Cancer and Military appreciation night. This announcement falls in line with that.

they aren't puppets. let them play hockey

screw military appreciation night.
If we can't take the extra step with a warm up jersey to support hockey being inclusive to everyone, we shouldn't have to have a special jersey to celebrate the military.

I hate the decision, but I would hate it more if it was only pride being excluded.
If a player is so homophobic they can't bear the thought of wearing a bit of rainbow for 20 minutes, I'm ok with their beliefs being outed.

[Reggie Dunlop]

The Pro-Cancer people are finally being heard.

[Makarov]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Possibly unpopular opinion: this is a good thing. The pride night has become all about the jerseys - which are cool - but not really enough about the community initiatives and messaging from the players who ARE supportive of those initiatives. It's also just become a lazy crutch for sportswriters to write gossip columns about "who on your favourite team should be shamed for being a bigot". Plus it's not like they play the game in the pride jerseys, once the puck drops you can't even tell it's pride night.

So, no jerseys? Fine - decorate the living #### out of the arena instead. Rainbow coloured center ice line. Rainbow goal posts. Rainbow towels would be awesome. Create a sponsored "pride parade" section for fans who want to dress up. Make it a whole atmosphere.

OK, but does anyone think this is actually going to happen?

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

I honestly don't know. Maybe some organizations will do something like that. I'm just saying it's what I would do.

I suspect that some organizations will still make the jerseys and many players will still wear them, just not in warm ups.

[Makarov]

Originally Posted by GullFoss

I've been attending pride events since I was 12. And I loved the pride logo for the flames. I basically bought all the merch.

Yet if my employer pushed me to wear a pride insignia or other type of political or cultural uniform, I'd tell them to #### right off. No one should push me to show support for anything, not even for the things I believe in. It's not my employer's place to tell me what social causes to support or what social causes I should be seen supporting.

An employer trying to capitalize on my personal identity - including my social views - is bull####.

I think you misunderstand. In cases like this, employees aren't being forced to support a social cause. That's impossible (employers can't change the way you think). Rather, employees are being required to demonstrate their employer's support of a social cause. I see little difference in your employer requiring employees to demonstrate their employer's dedication to the environment, or to customer service, or to Canada Day, etc.

[jgotti]

Rob Kerr going off on the nhl.