The New England Patriots threatened their fans with big tech censorship after a Tweet by the NFL team’s verified account celebrating LGBT “pride month” was widely mocked. Corporate America, including the NFL, has been ridiculed in recent days for a seemingly frantic effort to force June as LGBT pride month into the American psyche. Internet users have pointed out that, seemingly overnight, blue and yellow Ukrainian flags have been replaced with rainbow pride flags in corporate Twitter bios.
Going beyond a mere rainbow pride flag, the New England Patriots employed the far-left’s “progress pride flag” in their pride month tweet, which gained popularity during 2020’s deadly summer of Black Lives Matter riots and includes additional stripes in the shape of a triangle to celebrate transgenderism and to represent “communities of color.” Above the flag, the “Gillette” portion of the Gillette Stadium sign, where the team plays its games, is shown in rainbow lettering.
“Kicking off Pride Month,” the Tweet from the New England Patriots reads, “@GilleteStadium is illuminated tonight in celebration of #Pride2022.”
Blowback over the Tweet was widespread and came from a wide array of Twitter users. While some were upset that the New England Patriots didn’t celebrate February’s Black History Month in a similar manner, others criticized them for corporate pandering and for politicizing sports, remarking that they’d made their own once-great product unwatchable.
“Please just focus on beating the Bills and picking an offensive coordinator,” one fan wrote to the team. “Stay out of social justice and concentrate on football,” wrote another.
Apparently unhappy with the lack of enthusiastic response, the New England Patriots then used their official Twitter account to threaten fans with big tech censorship, reminding them that the post’s comment section was being “monitored’ and accusing them of “hate.”
“Our comment section is monitored and there is no room for hate,” the team’s account tweeted to even more ridicule from fans. In the comment sections of both the original tweet and the response threatening censorship, several replies are unable to be viewed, appearing to show that the New England Patriots did indeed move to suppress the speech of their own fans.
Our comment section is monitored and there is no room for hate.
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) June 2, 2022
