The Phoenix Rising match against the San Diego Loyal on Friday night marked the two teams’ first match of the season.
It also marked an attempt by the teams to highlight efforts to reach out to the LGBTQ+ communities in the wake of a controversy that occurred the last time they met in the regular season.
Rising FC made a statement on social media about the night and the effort well before the game began.
In response to a reply questioning when a “straight pride night” would be held by the team, the club’s Twitter account replied with a comment that made waves on social media.
“We’ll let you know when we have a**hole night and we can honor you at halftime,” it tweeted.
You can see the exchange in these tweets:
Friday’s game was to mark the first regular season match between the clubs since the controversial meeting in San Diego last September that ended when the Loyal forfeited the game in protest midway through the contest, after the club claimed Rising’s Junior Flemmings directed a homophobic slur at Collin Martin, an openly gay player.
The incident resulted in Flemmings’ suspension by the league for the rest of the season. He later parted ways with the club. Schantz also was suspended, after he was overheard downplaying the incident, but was allowed to return to coach the club. He later publicly apologized and pledged to work with the LGBTQ+ communities going forward.
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As part of this opening match Friday, the two clubs, along with the USL, were set to take several steps to draw attention to LGBTQ+ issues, according to a league statement, including participating in a series of individual and combined three-hour training and education sessions over the course of the 2021 season presented by the USL in partnership with Common Goal.
The game was set to feature Forever Proud captain’s armbands and corner flags. The teams were to come together prior to the opening kickoff in a show of solidarity with the USL’s recently launched Forever Proud project, which was created to reinforce USL’s commitment to social impact initiatives including support and advocacy for LGBTQ+ communities.
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During halftime, both teams were expected to sign an inclusivity pledge.
After the game, the armbands and corner flags were set to be auctioned, with all the proceeds to be donated to local LGBTQ+ organizations. Also after the game, the club was set to host the championship match of the Phoenix Gay Flag Football League (PGFFL) and was to debut at halftime an inclusivity video shot in collaboration with Forever Proud partners You Can Play.
“It’s very encouraging to see this situation come full-circle and witness the positive changes that are happening as a result,” said Phoenix Rising FC Governor Berke Bakay in press release. “Coach Schantz’s actions at our last match with San Diego Loyal were the catalyst for change and understanding not only within himself, but throughout our organization.”
The Rising also have designated the June 5 game as “Pride Night,” one of a series of special promotion games this season.
More:Collin Martin details alleged homophobic slur incident in San Diego vs. Phoenix Rising FC
The team’s Twitter response earned a lot of attention.
The Arizona Republic’s Edwin Perez contributed to this story.
