No, Ivan Provorov Does Not Need To Wear The Pride Jersey

When National Hockey League player Ivan Provorov declined to wear the special rainbow gay pride jersey for Philadelphia Flyers Pride Night, he ignited a firestorm. Numerous sports commentators (mostly straight) quickly rushed to denounce him, labeling him a homophobic bigot and demanding his cancellation. One straight commentator even broke down in tears on air over Provorov’s refusal to wear the pride jersey.

As a gay sports fan, I found the visceral anger misplaced, counterproductive, and harmful.

The rainbow gay pride jersey is derived from the rainbow gay pride flag. Originally created to symbolize hope for change against the systemic oppression of LGBTQIA people and represent civil disobedience, the pride flag has transformed over the past decade, going mainstream. The pride flag now flies at congressional offices, city halls, and corporate headquarters. For pride month, the pride flag colors now light up major monuments like the Empire State Building and even the White House.

Today, many professional sports teams host pride nights (something once unthinkable). And many of these teams, like the Philadelphia Flyers, have created pride jerseys, with the same rainbow color schemes as the pride flag for their players to wear during pride night games. This is a great thing, showing just how far society has advanced.

But while many woke straight social media warriors authoritatively informed me, a gay man, that Provorov harmed the LGBTQIA community by refusing to wear the pride jersey, their reaction proved far more harmful. Their virtue signaling undermined the very purposes of wearing a pride jersey.

As much as the pride jersey means, wearing one is still a political statement. (After all, if it wasn’t, why would anyone be mad at Provorov for not wearing one?).

Simply making pro-LGBTQIA political statements doesn’t always equate with an individual’s true feelings. Plenty of homophobes can be disingenuous for political, social, and economic reasons.

The statement that professional athletes made by wearing pride jerseys always felt different though. These professional athletes had no incentive to make bold political declarations in favor of LGBTQIA civil rights. There’s no huge gay sports fan base (at least for men’s sports). Instead, athletes signaled they genuinely believed in sexual orientation equality and opposed homophobic discrimination. Wearing the pride jersey was their small part to break down barriers for LGBTQIA people.

But the woke social media reaction to Provorov left me wondering. Have some of my favorite professional athletes worn pride jerseys, not because they genuinely believed in advancing LGBTQIA civil rights, but because they were compelled?

The mere possibility makes professional athletes wearing pride jerseys feel hollow and empty.

A professional athlete wearing a pride jersey should mean far more than just virtue signaling. Professional athletes are often revered by the public, especially by younger men who aspire to grow up to be just like them. If a homophobic young person looks up to a professional sports player, witnessing that player wearing a pride jersey has a very powerful effect. If a young person’s personal hero shows support for the LGBTQIA community, that same young person might change their mind to be more like their hero. Or at least reconsider their views.

For fans who see their favorite hometown professional sports team players representing their city or region, the act of that player wearing a pride jersey demonstrates a player who stands for them stands for the LGBTQIA community too.

Professional athletes wearing the pride jersey also send a powerful message to talented gay athletes who aspire to play professionally. Even the most talented athletes will not make the pros without sacrifice, hard work, and discipline. When professional athletes wear the pride jersey, they send a message to young gay athletes that their efforts to devote themselves to their sport are worthwhile. Because they’ll be judged for their athletic ability, not their sexual orientation.

But how does wearing the pride jersey mean any of that if players wear pride jerseys only because their team requires it?

Compelling a person to make a political statement doesn’t persuade that person of the truth of that statement. It does not change their heart or their mind. They only make the statement under duress. More importantly, it does not change the hearts or minds of others. Others know the statement is not a genuine reflection of true feelings. It doesn’t persuade them to change their attitudes or behavior.

If anything, attacking Provorov for refusing to wear the pride jersey only reinforced the common viewpoint of homophobic bigots that they are now oppressed for their views. The idea that players must wear the pride jersey or face the consequences only reinforced their view.

For them, Provorov became the one player on the team who was brave enough, to be honest about his true views. The attempt to cancel Provorov resulted in his personal jerseys nearly selling out.

There are very few openly gay athletes in professional sports. There are probably many more gay athletes currently playing but fear coming out.

Even in today’s far more tolerant world, there are many reasons why professional athletes might not want to come out. Great players make money off selling personalized merchandise (jerseys, specialty t-shirts, autographed balls, bobbleheads, etc.). How much personal merchandise will a professional athlete sell if they are openly gay? How many of their jerseys will parents buy for their kids? How many lucrative endorsement deals will be as forthcoming for openly gay athletes compared to their straight colleagues?

Attitudes are changing for the better. But gay professional athletes almost certainly consider potential economic losses when deciding whether to come out.

If we wish to change that dynamic, we must achieve a deeper societal change, not just compel pro-LGBTQIA speech from professional athletes.

When a professional athlete wears the pride jersey, it should be a powerful statement that empowers the LGBTQIA community. However, that statement must be genuine. Otherwise, it defeats its very purpose. Neither Ivan Provorov nor any other professional athlete should ever be compelled to wear the pride jersey.