(OPINION) ETH – The NFL on Monday joined the rest of corporate America in marketing to LGBT Americans for Pride Month with the release of a new commercial declaring that football is gay, lesbian, queer, transgender, bisexual, and a whole bunch of other things.
The 30-second advertisement begins by stating “football is gay” as drums roll and people cheer in the background. “Football is lesbian. Football is beautiful. Football is queer. Football is life. Football is exciting. Football is culture. Football is transgender. Football is queer. Football is heart. Football is power. Football is tough. Football is bisexual. Football is strong. Football is freedom. Football is American. Football is accepting. Football is everything. Football is for everyone,” the commercial announces.
The ad is titled, “Football is for everyone,” and it is intended to “send a strong message of acceptance from the league to fans and players,” according to Outsports. It is also a direct response to Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib coming out as gay last week, a spokesperson for the league said.
“I am proud of the clear message this spot sends to the NFL’s LGBTQ+ fans: This game is unquestionably for you,” NFL diversity director Sam Rapoport told Outsports. “I will be playing its first line over and over in my head all season.”
In a statement, the NFL touted its partnership with the Trevor Project in creating the ad. The Trevor Project is a nonprofit organization that provides crisis information and suicide prevention services to gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth. READ MORE
