SPORTS
Rainbows & Chick-fi l-A at Citi Field?
Mets plaster ads for homophobic fast food joint weeks before Pride Night
BY MATT TRACY
Get ready for rainbows and Chick-fi l-A
at Citi Field.
Just weeks before hosting Pride
Night on August 10, the Mets plastered
prominent ads at Citi Field featuring the
anti-LGBTQ fast food chain Chick-fi l-A, which
has spent years donating millions of dollars to
homophobic politicians and organizations while
emerging as a champion of the far right in the
Trump era. The Mets also offer free Chick-fi l-A
food to fans whenever the team scores more
than fi ve runs or when a batter hits a homer off
the foul pole.
The team installed the bulky ads in mid-July
on each foul pole, infuriating fans in more ways
than one: Many have expressed outrage over
the team’s willingness to embrace a bigoted fast
food chain and others are upset that the ads obstruct
views in the left fi eld and right fi eld seats
at Citi Field.
Twitter user Chuck G wrote, “This is New
York, how about you don’t take money from homophobic
bigots like @Chickfi lA #TakeItDown,”
while Mets fan Michelle Ioannou tweeted a photo
of the new foul pole blocking views of the fi eld
and noted that she couldn’t see Mets starting
pitcher Noah Syndergaard. She asked, “Where
is Syndergaard?”
Chick-fi l-A’s ties to the dark corners of the anti
LGBTQ right have not gone under the radar.
MATT TRACY
A Chick-fi l-A ad is seen on the foul pole at Citi Field on July 26.
The fast food chain most recently hit the spotlight
in Texas, where Republican Governor Greg
Abbott on July 18 surrounded himself with
Chick-fi l-A food and cups as he signed a state
bill dubbed “Save Chick-fi l-A,” which bans government
entities from taking “adverse actions”
against businesses due to their religious beliefs
or morals — a clear shot at those who are upset
with the organization’s anti-LGBTQ ties.
Even more relevant to the Chick-fi l-A’s targeting
of sports stadiums like Citi Field is the
fast food giant’s tendency to allocate resources
to conservative corners of the sports world. In
2017 alone, the Chick-fi l-A Foundation donated
a whopping $1.6 million to the Fellowship of
Christian Athletes (FCA), which directs staffers,
student leaders,
and others to sign a
“Sexual Purity Statement”
stating, “The
Bible is clear in teaching
on sexual sin including
sex outside
of marriage” and that
“homosexual acts” do
not “constitute an alternative
lifestyle acceptable
to God.” The
FCA’s “Statement of
Faith” on its website
currently states, “We believe that marriage is
exclusively the union of one man and one woman.”
Locally, the chain has caught the attention
of transphobic Republican Staten Island City
Councilmember Joe Borelli , who once went on
Kevin McCullough’s AM970 radio show and
said boycotts against Chick-fi l-A represent “faux
outrage of the left” and that people should “eat
whatever delicious sandwich you want.” The
Yankees’ minor league affi liate in that borough,
the Staten Island Yankees, also announced a
season-long partnership with Chick-fi l-A earlier
this year.
In a written statement, a Mets spokesperson
did not directly respond to questions about why
the team would forge a new — and very visible
— partnership with an anti-LGBTQ company
while simultaneously claiming to support LGBTQ
rights.
“Our organization’s position on inclusivity is
very clear and we’ve been leaders with the LGBTQ
community and proud to welcome all fans
to the ballpark and additionally promote diversity
with our annual Pride Night at Citi Field,”
the team said.
While the team refuses to budge on its ties to
Chick-fi l-A, the Mets are simultaneously keeping
Pride Night on the bottom of their list of priorities.
The ticket page on the Mets.com lists a free
“Hawaiian shirt” as the promotion on August 10
and makes no mention of Pride Night slated for
that same evening. Instead of a broader marketing
push, LGBTQ fans are specifi cally targeted
through paid social media advertisements
asking fans to purchase tickets for Pride Night.
That approach was an issue last year when the
Mets heavily advertised a bobblehead giveaway
but barely gave Pride Night a mention.
Regardless of Chick-fi l-A’s presence at the stadium,
Pride Night festivities will include “festive
pregame programming” outside of Citi Field.
Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets via a
discounted offer and a portion of proceeds from
those tickets will be allocated to the Queens
and Long Island-based LGBT Network.
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