Australian Basketball Team Won’t Wear Pride Jerseys Citing Religious Beliefs

Cairns Taipans is a professional Australian basketball team that refused to wear gay pride-themed jerseys against East Melbourne Phoenix on Wednesday.

Multiple players reportedly The team decided not to wear the rainbow logo on its jerseys after expressing concerns about the symbol’s religious meaning.

The NBL will host its first ever pride round, where teams can choose to wear a rainbow logo as part of their regular jerseys.

After his team’s loss to East Melbourne, Taipan’s head coach Adam Forde explained that his team was under “targeted attacks” Before explaining why the whole team decided not to wear the gay pride-themed jerseys,

“We’re doing this because we got around our brothers and we want to protect each other and rather than feel like we’re getting singled out for any particular reason. I’m proud of them for it,” Forde stated that according to ABC Sport.

Cairns Taipans and Cairns Taipans ate together before Wednesday’s game. statement Social media: explains why you have decided not to wear the logo of gay pride

“This is a negative distraction to what should be a positive experience across the game, and now we feel as though our only choice as a team is to collectively opt out of this season’s uniforms,” This statement is read in part.

“This is not a reflection of our individual stances or personal vies, but a protection of our brothers that are being set up to be vilified and no longer feel as though they have a safe space in our sport.”

James McKern, who used to work for ESPN, was infuriated by the team’s choice not to wear the rainbow logo:

NBL owner Larry Kestelman showed support for Taipan’s players, explaining “if any player or team elect not to wear the jersey, we will respect that decision.”

Wow, a professional sports league *actually* practicing real inclusivity. The NHL may want to take notes.

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