Soccer is bursting with Pride in the USA

By Dylan Butler | Posted 1 year ago

Professional soccer in America prides itself on inclusivity. It is a sport for all — all ages, all sexes, all walks of life. 


Major League Soccer, the National Women’s Soccer League and its clubs are celebrating Pride Month through a series of initiatives. 


The LA Galaxy celebrated Pride Night at Dignity Health Sports Complex on May 29 when they faced Austin FC. Prior to kickoff, the Galaxy donned adidas Pride warm-up tops, which will be auctioned off through the LA Galaxy Foundation.

 

The national anthem was performed by Sam Tsui and Casey Breves, avid supporters of the Los Angeles LGBT Center.


Also, Dignity Health Glendale Memorial Hospital partnered with the LA Galaxy Foundation in a food drive on May 29. Fans were encouraged to donate goods as they entered the stadium with the donations going to the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Pride Pantry. 


The Galaxy collaborated with Los Angeles-based artists Miranda Villanueva, Joaquin De La Mora and brand OneTwoThreads to design the “United Not Divided” Tee in honor of this year’s Pride Month celebration.

 

The shirt is available for purchase on OneTwoThreads.com for the entire month of June, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting The LGBTQ Center Long Beach. 


FC Dallas will celebrate Pride Month in their match against the Vancouver Whitecaps June 18 with their annual Y’all Means All Night that honors the LGBTQIA+ community. The club will also use the match to recognize Juneteenth, a June 19 federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of Black slaves. 


FC Dallas players will wear limited edition pre-match warmup tops in support of the LGBTQIA+ community. The tops feature a geometric pattern that fades from black into different colors of the rainbow. Those player-worn and autographed tops will be auctioned off by the FC Dallas Foundation with proceeds benefiting Dallas Hope Charities. 


The North Carolina Football Club, which competes in USL League One, and the NC Courage of the NWSL also have plans to celebrate Pride Month in partnership with the LGBT Center of Raleigh and Harmony: NC LGBY+ Allied Chamber of Commerce.


”Our club is proud to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, including our fans and players, in June and all year long,” North Carolina Football Club President Francie Gottsegen said in a statement. "We are excited to announce this initiative — powered by both local and national organizations — which includes community, in-stadium and digital programs designed to celebrate and unite our diverse fan base.” 


A festival is planned before the Courage home match against Angel City FC at WakeMed Soccer Park and feature area LGBTQ+ and LGBTQ+-friendly businesses, artists and entertainers, as well as kid-friendly activities. The festival will include members of Harmony: NC LGBT+ Allied Chamber of Commerce, a mission-driven non-profit fostering opportunities for LGBTQ+ businesses, professionals and allies.


During the match, NC Courage players will wear Pride jerseys, in addition to Pride pre-match tops prior to the game.


“I’m excited about the club’s plans and their commitment to celebrating Pride this season and for years to come,” Courage defender Merritt Mathias said. “To witness the evolution of the league’s Pride celebration as a whole is a beautiful thing to experience.

 

When I first entered the league 10 years ago, the platform to celebrate and honor the LGBTQ+ community looked very different for this league, its players and fans. Today, to have the support from each and every club to participate in a Pride Game doesn’t mean something ... it means everything. Representation Matters. Inclusivity Matters. We Matter.”


Team specific Pride-related T-shirts and scarves will be available for purchase online and in-stadium throughout the year, with proceeds going towards the LGBT Center of Raleigh.


The club will participate in a pair of festivals in Raleigh — Apex Pride Festival and OUT! Raleigh and initiatives will also include celebration of LGBTQ History Month in October, National Coming Out Day on October 11, as well as partnerships with local Gay Straight Alliances.


The club will also get the conversation going through digital activations, including player panel discussions around inclusivity, streamed live on Instagram and hosted by Athlete Ally, an organization focused on building inclusive communities for LGBTQI+ athletes through sport.


“Athlete Ally is grateful to be partnering with The North Carolina Football Club this Pride, including through critical discussions on how athletes can drive forward LGBTQI+ inclusion in and through sports,” Athlete Ally's Chief of Staff, AC Dumlao said. “We've seen the power athletes can have in mobilizing the sports community to champion equality, and we're honored to have the opportunity to maximize impact together.”


MLS also partnered with Athlete Ally to support Playing for Pride – a fundraising campaign that brings together athletes, teams, and Leagues to support Athlete Ally’s mission of making sports inclusive for the LGBTQI+ community. 


U.S. Soccer partnered with the You Can Play Project, an organization dedicated to ensuring equality, respect and safety for all athletes, coaches and fans no matter their sexual orientation and/or gender identity for the fourth consecutive year


The US men’s national team had rainbow numbers on the back of their jerseys for friendly matches against Morocco on Wednesday and Uruguay on Sunday.


The US women’s national team will also wear the numbers for their friendly against Colombia on June 25. 


Those game-issued jerseys will be auctioned off with all proceeds going to You Can Play to help promote a safe and inclusive environment for the LGBTQ+ community. Last year, the campaign raised $85,000.

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