Pro Sports Leagues Fly the Rainbow Flag

A rainbow flag unfurled during the national anthem at a D.C. United soccer match in August was a signal to Robert York that the team was throwing out the welcome mat to people like him. “It was a powerful symbol,” says York, a lifelong soccer fan who’s gay. “It’s about the fact that love wins overall, more so after what happened in Orlando,” he says of the June 12 shooting at Pulse nightclub that killed 49 people.

Professional U.S. sports leagues, long seen as a bastion of homophobia, are increasingly sending the message that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender fans are welcome at the ballpark. So far this year, about three dozen professional baseball, soccer, and women’s basketball teams have hosted pride nights, inviting members of the LGBT community to throw first pitches or participate in coin tosses, handing out commemorative merchandise, and donating a portion of ticket sales to LGBT causes.