The National Football League (NFL) recently joined virtually every other American institution in lauding —  and marketing to — the LGBT community during Pride Month in June.  It did so by releasing a new 30-second commercial proudly proclaiming that "football is gay, lesbian, queer, transgender, bisexual and exciting."

The ad begins by stating "football is gay" to the sound of drums rolling and people cheering.  (I'm not sure what Dick Butkus would have to say about this advertisement, but I digress.)

Four seconds into the ad.
Twitter video screen grab.

If you love this game, you are welcome here. Football is for all. Football is for everyone.

The NFL stands by the LGBTQ+ community today and every day.

For more information on how you can help the @TrevorProject, visit https://t.co/YtauzLAHIF pic.twitter.com/bkdWkAZ3vF

— NFL (@NFL) June 28, 2021

The ad is in part a direct response to Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib's recent announcement that he is gay, a league spokesperson said.  It is titled "Football is for everyone" and is intended to "send a strong message of acceptance from the league to fans and players," reports Outsports.  What will the league look like a few years from now?

The oh, so woke commercial states: "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."  (You can substitute "the NFL" for "football.")

"Football" is pandering.  Football is pathetic.  Football will say or do anything to chase down the very last potential viewer/customer.  I'm surprised the ad didn't also state, "Football is Chinese."  (Maybe the NBA had already patented the last two words of that phrase.)

This ad is disturbingly mindful of parents raising their babies' arms over their heads and cloyingly saying, "Who's big?  Billy is!  Sooo big!"

"Who's gay?  The NFL!  Sooo gay!  Who's queer?  The NFL! Sooo queer!  Who's two-spirited?  The NFL!  Sooo two-spirited!  Who's pro-pangender?  The NFL!  Sooo pro-pangender!  Who's Muslim?  The NFL!  Sooo Muslim!"  Etc., etc., etc.

The NFL could be called for a false start for an embarrassing attempt to make further inroads into the LGBT community.  It could be called for offsides, as it clearly went where it should not have gone.  It could similarly be cited for encroachment.  And it definitely should have been flagged for a "personal foul...roughing the viewer."

Normally, I'd "Be ready for some football!"  Now, however, I can never take the NFL seriously again.

And after this, members of the LGBT community shouldn't, either.

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