from Vigilant Citizen:
Some NHL players refused to wear rainbow flag jerseys on their bodies citing their religious beliefs. And, every time, mass media pundits engaged in all-out character assassination towards these players. Here’s a look at a situation that’s taking an authoritarian turn.
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As the “controversies” pile up, there’s a bizarre, authoritarian pattern emerging where players must either submit or be shamed by mass media for days on end.
The main problem of these Pride Nights: ALL players from the home team are required to skate around while wearing rainbow flag jerseys during warmups and/or games. By forcing players to be draped in the pride flag – on jerseys that bear their last names – these “celebrations” turned into some kind of authoritarian pledge of allegiance. And those who refuse to wear these jerseys are suffering authoritarian consequences: Character assassination from elite-sponsored media.
Did you know that Communist China engaged in similar tactics during its “Cultural Revolution”?
Here’s a short timeline of what has been happening in the NHL.
Ivan Provorov
The controversies began in January when Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov opted out of participating in warmups with his teammates. The reason: Players had to skate around with rainbow jerseys and rainbow tape on their sticks.
After the game, Provorov had to face reporters and explain himself.
When questioned by journalists, Provorov explained that these celebrations went again his Russian Orthodox beliefs.
“I respect everybody and I respect everybody’s choices. My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion. That’s all I’m going to say. That’s all I’m going to comment on that. If you have any hockey questions, I’ll answer those.”
Instead of, like, ignoring Provorov and respecting his choice, journalists and commentators engaged in all-out character assassination.
A female hockey player tweeted that Provorov should have been punished for not wearing the jersey. Is this still a free country?
This article calls Provorov’s choice of not wearing the Pride jersey a “show of defiance”. That’s the kind of headline one can read in Communist China.
Even Flyers Nation – an officially credentialed media outlet of the Philadelphia Flyers – published an article attacking Provorov … who is a Flyer.
While the media attempted to destroy Provorov, people who actually matter showed support. For instance, Flyers’ coach John Tortorella stated that he respected Provorov for staying true to himself. Furthermore, Provorov’s jersey (the real one, not the rainbow one) quickly sold out after the controversy.
In the weeks that followed, some NHL teams such as the New York Rangers and the Minnesota Wild canceled Pride Night, probably because several players did not want to do it. More recently, the Chicago Blackhawks canceled Pride Night by citing a specific reason: It put its Russian players at risk due to Putin’s anti-LGBT propaganda laws.
While media is now attempting to put a political spin on the story (i.e. it’s Putin’s fault), the narrative was cut short when James Reiner – a Canadian player – refused to wear the jersey.
James Reimer
On March 20th, James Reimer of the San Jose Sharks refused to wear the pride jersey and sat out of the game.
James Reimer
Following the game, a statement was posted on the Sharks’ social media accounts.
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