Hockey Isn't For Everyone: NHL Be A Decent League For Ten Minutes Challenge (IMPOSSIBLE)
Normally, when I write a “Hockey Isn’t For Everyone” article, it’s usually accompanied by a tone of anger or disgust. That’s not going to be the case for this. I feel nothing anymore. All I feel at this point is complete and total apathy. That, and rooting for other sports to overtake the NHL in popularity, but that’s beside the point. So, this article is going to go over two things: the NHL deciding discrimination is good, actually, and then their new “don’t say ‘gay’” policy. Let’s discuss.
Let’s start with what happened first. You can see the statement in my last Substack Note posted in this article, but here it is again, with alt text for those who need it:
So yeah, discrimination is good, according to this memo. The NHL is straight up green-lighting discrimination now. Do you dislike gays? How about disabled folk? Do folks with darker skin or who “look indigenous” scare you? Well, good news! You can avoid them and refuse to be anywhere near them! Thank god, someone is thinking of these white conservative millionaires and their god-given right to never have to see anyone who looks different from them! Please clap.
So, obviously, the first thought would be “well, there’s no way to get worse than that.” WRONG! Today, as confirmed by OutSports, there’s a “don’t say ‘gay’” policy now in effect. Well, that escalated quickly. Here are a few relevant parts from the article:
On top of this — and most egregious of all — Outsports has learned that the NHL has issued a league-wide ban of Pride Tape on the ice with the players during warm-ups, games and even practices. A league spokesperson has confirmed this change in policy with Outsports.
This is, as far as Outsports is aware, the most stifling, anti-LGBTQ policy any pro sports league in North America has ever issued.
…
What if a homophobic teammate of a gay player didn’t want to be seen as supporting the LGBTQ community on the ice by playing with said gay teammate? Can they demand and orchestrate a trade?
What if the gay player is an opponent on the ice? Can they refuse to play, lest they be seen supporting homosexuality by competing against the athlete? We’ve seen athletes refuse to compete against other teams because of the make-up of said team.
…
This new policy didn’t take hold because athletes were publicly condemning Black History Night or Military Appreciation Night. It came about when seven NHL players publicly refused to wear a rainbow in a warm-up.
That’s 1% of the NHL players.
League officials think that 1% represents a far larger portion of their fanbase than LGBTQ people. As NHL TV ratings continue a slow bleed — with well under a half-million viewers average in the United States per game — league officials are desperate to keep any eyeballs they can.
Folks, we need to talk about Luke Prokop. All I see is folk talking about how this impacts fans and bigots. No one is mentioning Prokop in any of the articles that have been released so far (at least, from what I’ve seen). He’s the first openly gay player under an NHL contract (drafted by the Nashville Predators). Has anyone checked in on him? I’m being serious, this isn’t me joking around. How does he feel right now? I can’t imagine it’s anything good. The NHL has made it clear: if he makes it to the NHL, he will be expected to shut the fuck up and just play hockey. He won’t be allowed to be openly gay in the NHL. He won’t get the chance to display his Pride in the league, but all his straight teammates will be allowed to be as openly straight as they want. He will have to keep an important, vital part of himself, to himself. The league is making it clear: “Luke, we don’t want you.” I don’t know how anyone could take it any other way. This is bigger than just the fans, there is an actual openly gay prospect in the NHL, right now, playing for their AHL team. This isn’t just the NHL telling queer fans “we don’t want you”, but they’re also telling gay players “you aren’t welcome, hang up the skates.” I mean, how could he feel welcome in an NHL locker room? Discrimination against him, by his own teammates, would be completely allowed and there wouldn’t be anything he could do about it. It’s evil. Actually evil.
So yes, if you are queer, and don’t feel welcome by the league, you’re not. Straight up, you’re not. I know what you’re feeling. It’s why us queer hockey fans have to stick together even more so than before. It’s just heartbreaking that we are forced into creating groups with each other for solidarity because hockey, the sport we love, doesn’t want us. Us queers have done more to grow the popularity of this league than the NHL’s TikTok or Snapchat could ever dream. I genuinely know more people who have gotten into hockey these last few years due to queer friends pushing them to get into it or queer hockey fan fiction on AO3 (Archive of Our Own). I know more queer hockey fan fiction writers than I know people who make videos or write articles about the NHL. Yet, the NHL doesn’t want us or our efforts. It’s to the point where I find other leagues, such as the NLL (National League Lacrosse) to be more interesting to me, because they’re openly inviting to minorities. The NHL has “Hockey is for Everyone” as a slogan, but it’s one that they blatantly don’t live up to. The NLL has “NLL Unites”, one that they have consistently lived up to. Yes, this is a hockey newsletter promoting a completely different sport, one that competes against the NHL for viewership. I will continue to do so, as they actually deserve viewers and fans, especially minority fans because they’re actually reaching out to minority fans and have consistently done so, without step backs or wavering. I strongly encourage queer sports fans to consider watching the NLL. If you're already subscriber to TSN+ or ESPN+, you get the NLL as well. It’s a fun sport, one I’ve been watching for a few years now. Anyway, I’m not giving up on hockey yet, I love the sport too much to just give up and let the bigots have it, but if you want a respite and enjoy a sport that doesn’t hate you, give box lacrosse a try.
If you want to follow me on social media, find me on Bluesky, Instagram, Mastodon, T2, Threads, and Twitter. You can also find Vibes Based Hockey on Hive (@vibeshockey), Instagram, Tumblr, and Twitter.