The annual June 1 kickoff to Pride Month came and went on Monday and the NFL's X account that serves over 36 million followers and its Instagram account that serves 32 million followers did not mention the event.
Let that sink in for a moment.
The league accounts that, in the past years, have told fans that "football is gay," that "football is lesbian," that football is queer, transgender, bisexual and, for everyone, were silent on the issue. The National Football League's social media accounts this year stuck to, well, football.
The league posted about the Myles Garrett trade to the Los Angeles Rams. About the A.J. Brown trade to the New England Patriots. About Odell Beckham signing with the New York Giants. And Raymond Berry dying.
So, this may mean something.
Or nothing.
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For conservatives, Christians and others, it is a small victory they hope extends throughout the entire month and eventually to the league's individual teams, most of which embraced Pride Month on its first day. Nine of the 32 teams did not recognize Pride Month on Monday.
For some gay activists, the NFL's action (or inaction) on social media on Monday means they're hoping some admin corrects an oversight as early as Tuesday morning. Otherwise, it's a big loss for those activists that want their sexuality celebrated and amplified by the country's most popular sports league.
Members and supporters of the LGBTQ community attend the Say Gay Anyway rally in Miami Beach, Florida, on March 13, 2022, following the Florida Senate's passage of a bill banning lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in elementary schools. (Chandan Khanna/AFP)
Whatever it means, this is where we are in 2026: Corporations, small businesses, universities, individuals, and yes, sports leagues are being watched on the first day of Pride Month to see how they handle the divisive issue.
We say divisive because there are no winners amid the scrutiny. Recognizing the month or opting out sends a message that upsets somebody regardless of the choice.
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Major League Baseball, the NBA and even the NHL recognized the start of Pride Month on Monday. The professional hockey league did so by changing its logo to rainbow colors — a betrayal of its own corporate branding.
So, the NFL was different than its professional sports counterparts for at least one day. It was also different than it has been in the past when it did salute Pride Month on its first day and even once came up with celebrating LGBTQ history month.
This doesn't mean the NFL is no longer supporting gay issues. It supports those all year long on its website and via other means, including fundraising events and promotions. But this messaging omission this time — intentional or otherwise — was notable.
As to the league's teams, the nine teams that declined to mention Pride Month are generally the same group that have done so in the past.
The New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints did not recognize Pride Month on social media. Most of those did not last year, either.
And this is where we remind you, this is a snapshot in time. The NFL may offer a Pride Month nod in the coming hours or days after publication of this piece. The teams that opted out might as easily opt in over the coming days.
The Indianapolis Colts, for example, have been back and forth on the Pride Month celebration posts the past two years. But they were the NFL's first team to post about Pride Month this year.
And why do we count? Because we live in an increasingly populist society where one side insists it must celebrate its sexuality and wants others to join in, and the other side has increasingly resisted and, in the extreme, believes the celebration of one sexuality over an entire month is insufferable.
All one has to do is read the replies to the teams to understand both of those are so.
It is also interesting that Pride Month and the corporate pandering it encourages create some strange dynamics. Example:
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The Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans and Minnesota Vikings are among the teams that saluted Pride Month on Monday.
But that seemingly makes those teams seem quite conflicted on social media because in March they also celebrated the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting, with a shoutout to Eid al-Fitr.
The Vikings celebrated the Muslim holiday on X while the Texans and Eagles did so on Facebook.
A controversy arose in New York City after the Trump administration removed the Pride flag from a national monument. (Spencer Platt/Getty)
The Muslim religion, like Christianity and Judaism, has strict teachings against homosexuality.
But the Commanders, Vikings and Eagles were not the only ones presenting a paradox to the celebration of gays with the orthodoxy of the Muslim religion on Monday.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani posted a verbose (for X) post about how it would take more than a month to "honor the contributions of queer and transgender New Yorkers."
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Mamdani was born in Uganda, is a Sharia Muslim and has consistently praised his home country while also publicly embracing his religious identity.
Except that Uganda in 2023 enacted the Anti-Homosexuality Act that imposes life imprisonment for same-sex acts and the death penalty for aggravated homosexuality. And traditional Sharia treats homosexual acts as punishable offenses.
Yes, quite inconvenient for someone celebrating the start of Pride Month.
FOLLOW ARMANDO SALGUERO ON X: @ARMANDOSALGUERO
Armando Salguero is OutKick's Senior NFL Writer.
