Sports

NHL Player Refuses To Wear Pride-Themed Jersey During Warmups, Cites Christian Faith

   DailyWire.com
James Reiner
Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images

San Jose Sharks goalie James Reimer opted not to wear the team’s specially designed warmup jersey before a game on Saturday night as the team celebrated Pride Night.

Reimer issued a statement explaining his decision which the NHL franchise shared on its Twitter account.

“For all 13 years of my NHL career, I have been a Christian — not just in title, but in how I choose to live my life daily. I have a personal faith in Jesus Christ who died on the cross for my sins and, in response, asks me to love everyone and follow him,” he said. “I have no hate in my heart for anyone, and I have always strived to treat everyone that I encounter with respect and kindness.”

“In this specific instance, I am choosing not to endorse something that is counter to my personal convictions which are based on the Bible, the highest authority in my life,” Reimer continued.

He concluded that “every person has value and worth” and should be “welcomed in all aspects in the game of hockey.”

The team said in a statement: “We also acknowledge and accept the rights of individuals to express themselves, including how or whether they choose to express their beliefs, regardless of the cause or topic.”

During Saturday’s game, the Sharks opted to “offer information and facts about LGBTQIA+ topics” instead of the “normal game content” during the showdown against the New York Islanders.

“Worldwide, gender diversity is seen far differently than that in the Western World or as you may know it. Most of us are familiar with the male, female, and transgender labels. But in other cultures, the existence of ‘the third gender’ or even fourth and fifth genders is common,” one post in a series of tweets from the NHL team’s official account said.

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“In some Native American cultures, the umbrella term to describe a third gender is ‘two-spirit.’ In South Asia, it’s hijras. In Thailand, it’s kathoeys. In Ethiopia, it’s ashtime. In Polynesia, it’s fa’afafine. And many more,” another tweet read.

Frustrated fans commented on the thread, complaining about how the team was veering into radical Left-wing gender theory rather than providing game updates.

“Professional hockey teams are now the leading experts regarding X and Y chromosomes. What a time to be alive,” one user shared.

“[S]tick to hockey,” another account advised.

The Islanders defeated the Sharks 4-1.

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