Seattle Pride
Last Sunday, the Seattle Mariners became the first-ever American professional sports team to publicly fly a Gay Pride flag during a game. Mariners spokeswoman Rebecca Hale had this to say about the decision: “We’re a part of this community. Our fans are a reflection of our community. We thought this was an appropriate gesture on a day that is very meaningful to the LGBT community.”
I hope that more teams follow the Mariners’ lead and welcome and support all members of the community that support them.
If only “pride” and “Mariners” went together better.Report
I suppose it’s not quite the same, but I go to Philadelphia Union soccer games a couple of times a year, and there’s a part of the official “Supporters” section behind one of the goals that has always prominently displayed the gay pride flag. As I understand, the banners and flags in the supporters section, while privately made and displayed, have to get the approval of the team, and in order to sit in the section you have to be a member of an officially recognized “Supporters’ Club.”Report
Good on them. All positive developments.Report
I wonder if back when the A’s were still in Philly they had such clubs.Report
Cue old “athletic supporters” jokes.Report
Good for the M’s!
I recall that there was some sort of flap last year or the year before concerning a couple of women who were kissing for the “kiss-cam” and people got all huffy about it and the organization had to do some unseemly tap dancing. But however they got there, it’s good and appropriate that a team emblematic of the city be inclusive of all the communities within it.
A question for the thusly-oriented commenters out there: if a sports team in your area had “gay day” would you like that, or not? (For the non-sports-inclined, this could also apply to the county fair, say, or any other sort of large-scale public venue.)Report
This might be worthy of a STQ… what sort of “outreach” effort would have to be done to get someone to attend an event one might not otherwise.
I will say, per a conversation with Russell, that any “gay day” at the ballpark would have to include stipulations that CC Sabathia and David Wells absolutely not appear.Report
Aww. I was specifically thinking of having it happen on the day that Wells was up in the rotation. Just to show him.Report
At the risk of violating his privacy, in some off-the-record convos on sports, Russ indicated that he enjoyed baseball because at the very least he could admire the guys in tight pants. I then told him to never google CC Sabathia. Which he did. I then told him never to google Wells. Which he did. We haven’t spoken since.Report
some unseemly tap dancing
I am interpreting this literally, and deriving a great deal of amusement therefrom.Report
if a sports team in your area had “gay day” would you like that, or not?
I don’t go to sporting events for politics, and this could hardly avoid being political. But it would certainly irritate me less than having to sit through the obligatory nationalism of the national anthem. As purely a marketing move I would applaud it, though. And it certainly wouldn’t deter me from buying a ticket as, say, “Christian Nationalist” or “KKK Day” would.Report
Goddammit, forgot to change the name/email for the umteen thousandth time. The above comment is me. Johanna would applaud Gay Day enthusiastically, and if anything be more inclined to go to a game.Report
Is that you below, as well?Report
No, that’s her. As a Dutch-Indonesian-American she’s a fan of Dutch Soccer, and proud of the orange for their show of support for gay rights. (I am, too, except for the ethnicity part).Report
Gay is an ethnicity now? I just can’t keep up.
Gay-American?Report
Heh, I guess that is a logical reading of that.Report
I know there was some sort of Kiss Cam controversy here in Ottawa a few years ago for a similar reason. The camera operator focused on two young attractive women to get them to kiss (which they did).
The issue was not that there were lesbians on the Kiss Cam, but, as it turns out, that it wasn’t a lesbian couple, just two young attractive women. The assumption (which was probably true) was that the two were chosen so that the guys attending could watch two young attractive women make out. There’s a touch of sexism and exploitation in that.Report
The Dutch National Soccer team will actually have their own float in this years gay pride canal parade as they are actively promoting a “Football for Everyone” campaign to increase acceptance of homosexuality in the sport.Report
I’m a little surprised to hear any such thing is happening within European soccer, given the intense and rampant racism (e.g., banana throwing, monkey sounds, attempts to get even their own players deported) that tends to emerge there, even if only from small but very vocal minorities. I understand their racism tends to be rooted in intense nationalism, which I guess homosexuality doesn’t threaten in the same way. Regardless, that is a great, albeit fascinating, development.Report