More so than ever before, the sports world finds itself involved in the larger aspect of American society and politics. Obviously, the backdrop here has to be President Donald Trump’s rift with the NFL regarding national anthem protests and the outspoken stars of the basketball world taking on POTUS.
As divisive as it’s been over the past couple years, it now looks like the sports world is coming together in the fight for equality in this nation.
Already at the forefront of the movement due to its past actions, the NBA will be taking part in next week’s New York City Pride Parade. That’s not necessarily the story here.
Instead, it’s the fact that both Major League Baseball and the National Football League will be taking part in the festivities for the first time next week in the Big Apple.
“The MLB and NFL will be making their pride march debuts along with returning NHL, NBA, and WNBA leagues,” A local NBC News affiliate in New York reported. “Both leagues will march and ride along their fellow teammates in floats as they support pride up Fifth Avenue.”
Former tennis legend Billie Jean King will act as one of the parade’s Grand Marshals. Meanwhile, the annual event will reportedly be the “sportiest” in its history.
Long considered an archaic entity around the sports world, inclusion has not necessarily been the name of the game for the NFL. Now that the broader American landscape has changed and opinions regarding equality have liberalized, it’s high time the league moves past its worn-out ideologies. This is obviously the next step in that process.