Sports teams scale back Pride Month events amid Trump administration backlash

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Sports teams across the United States scaled back their Pride Month initiatives in June as franchises weighed support for LGBTQ fans against potential backlash under President Trump’s administration. However, Washington D.C. teams stood as notable exceptions, maintaining strong Pride support during the city’s WorldPride festivities.

The nation’s capital, with LGBTQ people representing 15% of its population according to UCLA’s Williams Institute, hosted WorldPride, generating $600 million in economic impact and attracting over 2 million visitors according to Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office and the Capital Pride Alliance. Local teams, including the Nationals, Commanders, and Wizards, doubled down on their LGBTQ support initiatives.

The Washington Nationals has held Pride Nights for 20 years, making them the team with the longest-running Pride event streak in Major League Baseball. They were MLB’s first team to host an official Pride event. Their Pride game on June 5 drew 30,402 fans on a Thursday, over 7,500 more than the game 24 hours earlier, which the team reported as their most successful Pride event.

Elsewhere, the sports landscape reflected less enthusiasm. NASCAR moved its Pride messaging from mainstream social media to LinkedIn to avoid reaching its predominantly conservative fan base. Several NFL teams, including the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, and Cincinnati Bengals, did not celebrate June as Pride Month. The Texas Rangers were the only MLB team not holding a Pride event, though they couldn’t completely avoid the occasion when the Baltimore Orioles scheduled their Pride Night during the Rangers’ visit to Camden Yards.

The Trump administration actively opposed Pride Month, with the Department of Education declaring June as “Title IX Month” as an alternative to LGBTQ celebrations. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced plans to rechristen the USNS Harvey Milk, stating that Pride was a factor in the decision. A Gravity Research survey found 39% of companies planned to scale back Pride-related engagements, with 61% saying Trump influenced their decision-making.

Teams found themselves in a social media catch-22: Pride posts attracted criticism and trolling, but failing to mark the month with rainbow imagery led to questioning some teams preferred to avoid. The backlash gained steam starting in 2023 when the Los Angeles Dodgers honored the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

Despite political pressure, Washington D.C. teams view Pride support as both principled and profitable. Industry experts suggest teams are adopting lower profiles while maintaining events, recognizing the economic value of LGBTQ fans who typically have disposable income and are social event-goers.

Read more: Amid LGBTQ backlash, many franchises tiptoed through Pride month. Not in Washington