All four major American sports leagues are headquartered in New York City, but only one of their commissioners took to the street in rainbow garb Sunday as part of New York’s Pride parade to celebrate the LGBT community.
NBA head honcho Adam Silver joined former NBA center Jason Collins, former WNBA forward Sue Wicks and various NBA employees on a parade float proudly adorned with the hashtags #NBAPride and #WNBA pride. It was the first time a major North American sports league has had a float in a Pride parade.
Look out for our #NBAPride #WNBAPride float at the #NYCPride Parade in NYC! pic.twitter.com/Xkuj5wWcfR
— NBA (@NBA) June 26, 2016
Here we are on our float getting ready for the start of the #NYCPride march. #NBAfamily @NBA @WNBA @nbacares pic.twitter.com/FY5t2yQluh
— Jason Collins (@jasoncollins98) June 26, 2016
.@NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum & NBA employees march in the #NYCPride Parade! pic.twitter.com/xKF6jN6Mv4
— NBA Cares (@nbacares) June 26, 2016
Be on the lookout for our #NYCPride float with @jasoncollins98 & @WNBA Legend @Suewicks23! #NBAPride #WNBAPride pic.twitter.com/PYht5JrYSk
— NBA Cares (@nbacares) June 26, 2016
Just as cool as the NBA commissioner marching in the parade is one of the NBA’s marquee stars expressing his approval of the league’s stance on LGBT rights.
Excited for the NBA Family who will be a part of history today as the first pro sports league to march in NYC Pride! #NBAPride #WNBAPride
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) June 26, 2016
The NBA has always been America’s most progressive sports league, and the league seems to be moving even further in that direction under Silver, who, among other things, has banned Donald Sterling and okayed powerful (and political) gun violence PSAs.
Of course, expressing symbolic support for the LGBT community should be the least pro leagues can do to promote equality in sports and beyond, but to this point messaging from the top rung has been fairly tepid. Major League Baseball has made some effort by hiring Billy Bean as Ambassador for Inclusion, but that hasn’t led to any grand gesture, and the NFL’s record is even more scant. The NHL, to its credit, has fully embraced LGBT issues through its You Can Play project.
It certainly helps that the NBA (and its sister league, the WNBA) has leaders like Collins and Wicks, who are comfortable publicly discussing their sexual orientation and advocating loudly for the LGBT community.
Hopefully as American moves closer and closer toward consensus on LGBT rights, other leagues will follow the NBA’s lead and take public stands on an issue that barely even qualifies as an issue any longer. Before long, Silver might even be sharing a float with Rob Manfred, Roger Goodell and Gary Bettman.