The National Hockey League is in a tight spot with some conservatives as a new target in America’s culture war.
In the lead up to its All-Star Game in Florida on Saturday, the league has tried to put its efforts to promote diversity and inclusion front and center. But those moves have drawn sharp criticism from powerful conservatives, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a top contender for the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nomination. and Fox News host Tucker Carlsonthe most-watched primetime cable newscaster, and sparked controversy on and off the ice.
There are few signs that those tensions will soon subside. Amid calls for change Both inside and outside of the sport, the NHL and its teams have sought to address past instances of racism and abuse, diversify its workforce, and foster a welcoming environment for LGBTQ fans and athletes. In doing so, the league has promoted semi-regular «Pride» nights at games, conducted a top-down diversity and inclusion assessment, and appealed to racial and ethnic groups that have not traditionally made up a significant part of the league. staff.
At the same time, leading conservatives argue that some of those initiatives are overtly discriminatory toward straight white men, who still conform the vast majority of team and league employees, or impede religious freedom. DeSantis, prior to his potential presidential run, has strategically picked fights on social issues with major corporations and entities like Disney, the College Board and the NHL when they are operating in his state, which he says is where «the awakening goes to die.» ”
Shaun Anderson, an assistant professor at Loyola Marymount University who focuses on the intersection of sports and social justice initiatives, said the idea that the NHL’s recent efforts to change hockey culture are too «woke» is comical. . For years, it lagged behind contemporary leagues like the NFL and NBA when it came to addressing social, cultural, and political issues.
«I laugh a little, because the [idea of the] woke up the NHL,» he said, «I’m like, ‘Well, they must have woken up yesterday.’
It is in Florida where one of the most prominent confrontations took place. Weeks ago, the league posted a LinkedIn post announcing its «Pathway to Hockey Summit,» an informative professional event the NHL finally hosted Thursday at the start of its All-Star weekend festivities. The forum was described as «for those who have not historically been exposed to hockey» to learn more about in-game opportunities.
It included a note that read: “Participants must be 18 years of age or older, reside in the US, and identify as Female, Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, LGBTQIA+, and/or an individual. with a disability. Veterans are also welcome and encouraged to attend.»
The league after He said the wording was in error and replaced the post, but not before DeSantis’s office condemned it in a statement and called for «discriminatory bans» on attendance to be removed.
“Discrimination of any kind is not welcome in the state of Florida, and we do not abide by the idea that discrimination should be overlooked if it is applied in a politically popular manner or against a politically unpopular demographic,” the spokesperson said. Bryan Griffin in a statement. .
After the trade, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told Atlético he did not «want to get into all this» and «increase the debate about it» but said the event had been «mischaracterized». DeSantis himself highlighted the episode, telling Fox News: “We are not going to fall into this wakeful presumption that it is okay to discriminate against some people if it is politically correct to do so, so we made it very clear to the NHL that they were violating our laws.
“They reversed course very quickly,” he said. «And our society is better when we are all treated equally and as individuals and not as members of groups.»
Florida state Rep. Randy Fine, a Republican, described the NHL’s portrayal of the initiative as overtly racist and said the league dropped the issue because they did not have «a publicly acceptable position.»
“People get involved in sports to get away from politics,” he said. «The idea of using these vehicles to swallow this down people’s throats, I think that’s shortsighted, I think that’s a terrible business strategy.»
He added, however, that he saw nothing wrong with a private company wanting to diversify its workforce, but he objected to the framing of this event.
“If the thing had said, ‘Hey, we’re going to have a diversity event and we’d love to have people from these groups come, but everyone’s welcome, I don’t think it would have gotten on the governor’s radar screen,” he said. saying. “But the event literally said that white males were prohibited from attending. That should upset people.»
Florida State Sen. Shevrin Jones, a Democrat, responded that the league’s «rollback» since publication in light of DeSantis’ pushback was «dangerous» and, when considered with DeSantis’s sweeping actions on social issues, » It should be a national concern for everyone.»
“Hockey is just not a popular sport in the black community,” Jones said. “The fact that the NHL saw a need to reach out to help black people and others appreciate the sport, that’s the right stance. That is being inclusive. That’s making sure everyone can enjoy hockey. … This will have long-term effects if companies start to give in to this authoritarian, fascist form of leadership that we are seeing.”
Although the league changed its promotion of the event, the summit went ahead as originally scheduled on Thursday and, as the Associated Press reported, focused on diversity efforts. Kim Davis, the NHL’s executive vice president of social impact, growth and legislative affairs, told the outlet that the league doesn’t «care about the tough questions being asked, as long as the assessment is fair.»
In October, The league released the results of a internal Diversity and inclusion evaluation, which found that approximately 84% of the league employees they were white while 93% identified as heterosexual. Davis said the league plans to update the survey every two years.
The NHL did not respond to a request for Davis to comment on this story.
Former NHL forward Brandon Bochenski, now the Republican mayor of Grand Forks, North Dakota, thought it inevitable that the same forces of social change that have driven progress in other sports would soon shape hockey.
«The NHL was the next target, I guess,» he said. “It is difficult, because diversity is more than skin color and sexuality. I think a lot of people believe that.»
One reason the NHL has traditionally attracted a largely white audience and talent pool is that the game is most popular in countries with long, sustained winters, such as Canada, Russia, and the Scandinavian countries, which are less diverse. racially.
And in the United States, the sport’s high costs for skates, pads, sticks and other equipment and fees have also often made it a more exclusive sport, limited to affluent communities, an issue Bochenski said the league should be addressing. at the forefront to solve.
But Bochenski said people’s backgrounds in sports are more varied than meets the eye.
“I don’t think hockey on the cover looks as diverse as it really is,” he said. “If you go in there and talk to the guys, whether they come from different religions, different families, different upbringings, how they treat people, there’s so much more. So I think it frustrates people when you really focus on just skin color and sexuality because you have quite a diverse group of people that make up the NHL.»
The league has gotten into some sticky issues beyond the DeSantis dispute in recent weeks. Before a «Pride Night» game between the Philadelphia Flyers and Anaheim Ducks last month, Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov opted out of the pregame skating because he refused to wear the Philadelphia Flyers jersey. warm up with the theme of pride. saying after the contest he wanted to «remain true to myself and my religion.» The incident sparked backlash and support for the Russian-born player.
Last weekThe New York Rangers, mindful of how the Provorov situation played out, opted not to use their scheduled pride-themed warmups, with the team saying in a statement that «the organization respects the LGBTQ+ community and we are proud to call spotlight on important local community organizations as part of another great Pride Night.
«In keeping with our organization’s core values, we support everyone’s individual right to respectfully express their beliefs,» the team added.
Bochenski said both incidents would have created dilemmas within NHL locker rooms, where culture dictates that individuality is set aside for the entire team. For the Flyers, «having one [player who] wasn’t going to participate it was probably hard for them to decide what to do.
«I think the Rangers decided not to push anybody,» he said. «And I don’t know what the right choice is.»
In light of each case, Anderson said the league and individual teams should strive “to always engage in a collaborative effort with the organization that is launching the initiative and the people who are directly affected by it.
“The hope is that you do the right thing. You put these events together and you resist a backlash,” he said. “Because you are a multi-billion dollar company. Everyone who says, Oh, I’m going to stop watching the NFL or the NHL because they’re ‘woke,’ that’s going to go down.»
«And then,» he continued, «you’re doing well with a group of people who just want a chance to do something great in sports.»