Amid Pride backlash, Washington franchises boldly blaze a path dodged by many others

Sports teams and leagues across the country, with notable exceptions, scaled back their Pride initiatives in June as franchises weighed the value of LGBTQ fans and their supporters against running afoul of a nationwide backlash led by President Trump.

In the nation’s capital, long known as one of the country’s most gay-friendly cities and the site of this year’s WorldPride, a huge annual international festival that attracted people from around the globe, the Nationals, Commanders, Wizards and other teams were among the franchises that doubled down on support for LGBTQ fans.

LGBTQ people represent 15% of the population of the District, according to estimates from the UCLA School of Law’s Williams Institute. And they spend. Local officials said the WorldPride festivities accounted for $600 million in economic impact for the city.

Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office and the Capital Pride Alliance estimated that the District’s rainbow-drenched festivities brought more than 2 million visitors.

“[Pride Nights] are important for the Nationals because we strongly believe that baseball is for everyone, and we want to have a wide universe of fans attending our games,” said Betsy Philpott, the Washington Nationals’ chief legal officer and member of the organization’s Pride group. “In addition, Night OUT has been one of our most successful special ticket events.”

Elsewhere in the sports world, the volume of support for LGBTQ causes this year seemed muted amid criticism from moderate and conservative fans fed up with activism and the politicization of sports.

NASCAR posted tongue-in-cheek Pride messages on its social media channels for three years. This year, its rainbow-themed message was quarantined to LinkedIn, far away from its predominantly conservative fan base.

Several NFL teams, including the Dallas Cowboys, the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals, did not celebrate June as Pride Month.

It was tougher for Major League Baseball, the only major men’s league hosting regular-season games in June, to fly under the radar. Pride Nights dotted the calendars for 29 teams.

“The idea of the Night OUT is to show the diverse kind of interests our community has,” said Miguel Ayala, president of the LGBTQ sports organization Team DC. “A lot of people think of nightlife and all that, but we have a broad array of people who are themselves athletes, who are family of athletes, who are fans.”

The Texas Rangers were the only MLB team opting not to hold an event.

“Our commitment is to make everyone feel welcome and included in Rangers baseball. That means in our ballpark, at every game, and in all we do — for both our fans and our employees,” a Rangers spokesperson said. “We deliver on that promise across our many programs to have a positive impact across our entire community.”

The franchise can’t completely dodge the occasion. The Baltimore Orioles scheduled their Pride Night for the Rangers’ trip to Camden Yards last week, as they have for three of the past four years.

Teams and leagues this year found themselves in a catch-22 unique to the social media age. Posts about Pride Month are inundated by critics — or outright trolls tossing insults or making derogatory comments — but failing to mark the month with a rainbow leads to a line of questioning some teams would like to avoid.

Franchises such as the Washington Commanders insist that supporting Pride is an easy decision.

“We believe football has the power to bring people together, and we think it’s important to use our platform to combat hate,” said Chanelle Reynolds, the Commanders’ head of diversity, equity and inclusion.

National backlash

The NFL franchise’s social media mentions were filled with hateful comments after the Commanders posted a graphic proclaiming “football is for everyone” on June 1.

The trolls aren’t new. Every team or league post with rainbow colors in June attracted the same kind of animosity.

The backlash started to gain steam in 2023 when the Los Angeles Dodgers honored the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a drag-themed charity that parodies the Catholic Church.

Catholic groups and lawmakers pressured the Dodgers to apologize for honoring the group, which critics said disrespected the religion. The Sisters did not appear in an official capacity at the Dodgers’ past two Pride nights.

The calls against the Pride festivities are growing louder and coming from more influential voices.

“It’s gay players in the NFL but forcing it into people’s faces, especially children can send the wrong message,” former Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant, whose mother is gay, wrote on X in June.

The Trump administration is leading the charge against Pride Month. The Department of Education opened June by declaring “Title IX Month,” an alternative to the LGBTQ celebrations.

“June will now be dedicated to commemorating women and celebrating their struggle for, and achievement of, equal educational opportunity,” the department said in a statement that did not explicitly mention Pride Month. “Throughout the month, the department will highlight actions taken to reverse the Biden administration’s legacy of undermining Title IX.”

The theme hasn’t caught on. The country hasn’t been flooded with Title IX nights at sporting events. Still, the message was clear to teams nationwide: The administration would not support Pride.

“We’re celebrating biological reality,” White House Senior Policy Strategist May Mailman said in a recent interview with The Washington Times. “Which should be something shared by all.”

A recent survey of public relations professionals confirmed what members of the LGBTQ community had already felt: Corporate sponsors are backing away from Pride.

The study, conducted by Gravity Research, found that 39% of companies planned to scale back Pride-related engagements this year. About 61% of respondents said Mr. Trump influenced their decision-making.

The administration maintained its momentum throughout the month. On Friday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced plans to rechristen the USNS Harvey Milk, named for the first openly gay elected official in U.S. history.

Milk, a veteran, was wearing his Navy diver belt buckle when he was assassinated in 1978.

Mr. Hegseth said Pride was a factor in the Navy’s decision to rename the ship.

“People want to be proud of the ship they’re sailing in,” Mr. Hegseth said as he announced the move.

Local support

Three miles southeast of the White House, the Nationals didn’t change a thing for this year’s Pride Night, the 20th in team history. The franchise was the first MLB team to host an official event, and 20 years of critiques haven’t fazed it.

“The Nationals are a fan-facing organization, and we understand that we’re subject to criticism, whether it’s for who we sign as a free agent or what bobbleheads we select each year,” Ms. Philpott said. “We try to listen to fan feedback, but we also want to ensure that we make Nationals Park and the Nationals inclusive for everyone who wants to join us.”

For many franchises, the solution seems to be to quiet down. Teams will host Pride Nights, but loud and proud rainbow posts on social media aren’t a given.

“I think everybody’s staying a little lower profile, just the way the current administration is; it’s a little volatile,” said Lisa Delpy Neirotti, a sports management professor at George Washington University. “Maybe there was a strategic decision to just keep it a lower profile.”

The District’s LGBTQ community didn’t receive that memo.

While the White House pivoted its focus to Title IX and the Army’s 250th birthday, the city hosted WorldPride. As part of the festivities, countless rainbow flags, socks, pins and shirts descended on Nationals Park.

The Nationals’ Pride Night is just one of several such events hosted by the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, the NWSL’s Washington Spirit, the Commanders, the Capitals and the Wizards.

The Nationals said their Night OUT was a whopping success. The 2025 Pride game on June 5 brought 30,402 fans to the stadium on a Thursday, over 7,500 more than a game 24 hours earlier.

“We support those who support us,” Mr. Ayala said.

The Nationals reported that this year’s event was their most successful. Regardless of political shifts, they don’t expect that trend to change.

The Nationals were the only MLB team hosting Pride Nights in 2005. Their 20-year string of events is the longest in the league.

“It’s extremely encouraging. We’re very proud of that fact,” said Ms. Phillpott, noting the 28 other events in the league. “We know that these nights are popular, and it’s great to not be on an island anymore.”

In many ways, embracing the LGBTQ community is a business decision for teams. With a significant population in the District, sports teams would miss out on revenue without LGBTQ fans.

“We have to realize that the gay and lesbian community typically has disposable income. They like going out to events, they’re very social. I think it’s a good group to have to sell tickets to,” Ms. Neirotti said. “And in terms of any backlash? Teams get backlash for almost anything they do.”

The online vitriol doesn’t show up in person.

“I’ve never seen any negativity at a Night OUT,” Mr. Ayala said. “That tells me that the actual fan base, the people who are buying season tickets and show up for the games, do support us overall. I’ve never seen any backlash that would make me think twice.”

Sports franchises will keep hosting the events as long as fans buy tickets. That’s business.

“Just looking at the data, I would say that I think they will continue to grow,” Ms. Phillpott said. “The Nationals hope that we do grow our Night OUT year over year, just like we hope to grow all of our special events that we have at the ballpark.”