Because the powers that be have decreed June to be Pride Month, we’re treated to a rainbow of homages to the LGBT community by “woke” business entities that last the entire month and then some.

Some sports leagues’ regular seasons don’t extend until June, though the woke folks who run those leagues still feel compelled to bow before and kiss the ring of the Rainbow Mafia. So, they add Pride Nights during other times of the year.

One recent case in point: The Philadelphia Flyers made headlines for their Pride Night thanks to non-participant Ivan Provorov, who cited his religious beliefs as the reason for being the lone player to not wear the special rainbow-colored warmup jersey. That controversy in the City of Brotherly Love may have led the New York Rangers to abandon their plans for a similar show of support for the LGBT community, although their Pride Night otherwise went as scheduled.

As part of the National Hockey League’s All-Star gathering held this past weekend in Florida, the league promoted an “inclusion” event for those interested in working for the league. Then came the predictable exclusions: “Participants must be 18 years of age or older, based in the U.S., and identify as female, Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, and/or a person with a disability. Veterans are also welcome and encouraged to attend.” That drew the ire of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, whose spokesman condemned the “discriminatory prohibitions” in the advertisement.

Thanks to the involvement of DeSantis, the mainstream sports media has now pitted this as yet another injection of racism and homophobia in a sport that, quite frankly, has suffered in recent years from just those allegations playing out: racism and sexual abuse of vulnerable young players by coaches and others in the developmental leagues. In the eyes of the left-leaning (to say the least) sports media, the NHL diversity event wouldn’t be “discriminatory” but instead part of a welcome “culture shift.”

Because hockey is most popular in areas that are racially homogenous, such as the northern parts of North America and Europe, and the barriers to entry are higher than most sports because equipment is expensive, the face of hockey is generally white. Although there is a growing number of non-white players in the NHL, nearly 90% of players in the league are whites of either North American or European descent. Because of that, it’s hardly unusual that the NHL executive workforce comes fairly close to that of the on-ice personnel. A league survey from 2022 shows that 84% of the league’s full-time workforce is white, and 93% are straight. (The latter number means LGBT people are slightly overrepresented in the workforce.)

It’s interesting to compare hockey’s efforts to those of the NBA, whose audience is more racially mixed even if the on-court personnel are pretty much the mirror image of the NHL’s. That league has long since been bitten by the “diversity, equity, and inclusion” bug, which is why the NBA seldom sees criticism from the sports media even when it’s deserved, such as in its kowtowing to China.

Sadly, the great escape that once was sports has fallen victim to those who would politicize athletic competition. In this case, it’s a shame because hockey has moved on from its old “we went to a fight and a hockey game broke out” reputation to become a contest featuring some of the best athletes to ever strap on a pair of skates, thrilling fans everywhere from the “Original Six” to new markets like Las Vegas and Seattle, both of whom have successful expansion teams. Let’s go back to having the pride in the end-of-series handshake line and the victorious squad hoisting the Stanley Cup. Let’s go back to just playing sports.