Tucker Carlson slams NHL for alienating white conservatives

[Suburbia]

Tucker Carlson ripped the National Hockey League for tweeting last week that “trans women are women” and connected the messaging to a broader scheme by the left to “brainwash” sports fans.

Last week, the league’s official Twitter account angered many fans when it championed a “trans draft tournament” in Wisconsin.
One person responded, “So, men playing on womans teams?”

The league fired back, “Trans women are women. Trans men are men. Nonbinary identity is real.”

The tweet went viral and led many to point out that the NHL is the country’s most conservative sports league when gauged by the political views of its fans.

On Wednesday’s Tucker Carlson Tonight, the host welcomed former NHL star Theo Fleury to discuss the tweet, the intersection of sports and politics and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman‘s recent call for more Black players in the sport.

“What do you make of this?” Carlson asked Fleury. “Were race politics a big part of hockey when you were playing?”

Fleury said people gravitate to sports like hockey for “fun” and to escape the realities of life.

“So clearly, political forces hijack professional sports as a way to brainwash the young men who watch professional sports,” Carlson said. “That’s of course the entire point of it. It’s strategic. Why doesn’t anybody say back off?”

Fleury responded by saying hockey players are accepting people. He also opined politics have “no place” in sports.

Carlson agreed and ripped progressives for not calling for NBA teams to be more reflective of their communities.

“By the way, if they were calling for affirmative action in the NBA, I’d be totally opposed to that,” he said. “But they never will.”

Watch above, via Fox News.

Is Tucker right? Should they alienate the Gretzkys and the Tortorellas of the world or appeal to more groups other than angry white middle class men?

https://twitter.com/rwesthead/status/1306266046890942471

https://www.mediaite.com/tv/tucker-carlson-rips-nhl-over-pro-trans-tweet-says-the-left-wants-to-hijack-sports-to-brainwash-young-men/

[KaiserDave]

LOL at politics haven’t been part of hockey before.

[7,052,770]

36-33 Democratic is "Republican leaning" ??

[free my dawg]

The NHL has always been at the forefront of LGBT issues. There hasn't been a gay NHL player yet, but for the last 10 years or so there's been a massive push like this. A long way coming from Andrew Shaw's moment in the playoffs in 2016.

[Suburbia]

LOL at politics haven’t been part of hockey before.

Hockey players don't usually talk politics, rarely. If not at all. Look how hesitant they were about BLM, the reaction coach John Tortorella had towards kneeling, etc.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

The NHL has always been at the forefront of LGBT issues. There hasn't been a gay NHL player yet, but for the last 10 years or so there's been a massive push like this. A long way coming from Andrew Shaw's moment in the playoffs in 2016.

Actually there has - https://www.nhl.com/news/luke-prokop-reflects-on-year-since-coming-out-as-gay/c-334995092

[7,052,770]

Also I find it very interesting that Tucker, etc., are losing their minds over an all-trans hockey league. They often argue against trans participation in women's sports by suggesting that transgender people should have their own separate competitions, but now when they have an example of that very thing happening, they're still mad?

It almost seems like it was never about "protecting the integrity of" the women's sports that they don't care about and often laugh at, but instead it was just anti-LGBT seething all along.

[KaiserDave]

LOL at politics haven’t been part of hockey before.

Hockey players don't usually talk politics, rarely. If not at all. Look how hesitant they were about BLM, the reaction coach John Tortorella had towards kneeling, etc.

Google "Richard Riots" you'll have a blast Bronz. Politics and hockey have been connected for a very long time.

[DrScholl]

White conservatives alone can't sustain an entire sports league. The NHL is doing what it feels necessary to keep itself sustainable over time. Sports leagues run reports like other businesses do and bringing in more types of people means more money.

[Crumpets]

Tucker Carlson slams NHL, alienating white independents

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

thanks for reinforcing my feeling that Hockey is the only sport worth watching.

[jojoju1998]

Tucker Carlson ripped the National Hockey League for tweeting last week that “trans women are women” and connected the messaging to a broader scheme by the left to “brainwash” sports fans.

Last week, the league’s official Twitter account angered many fans when it championed a “trans draft tournament” in Wisconsin.
One person responded, “So, men playing on womans teams?”

The league fired back, “Trans women are women. Trans men are men. Nonbinary identity is real.”

The tweet went viral and led many to point out that the NHL is the country’s most conservative sports league when gauged by the political views of its fans.

On Wednesday’s Tucker Carlson Tonight, the host welcomed former NHL star Theo Fleury to discuss the tweet, the intersection of sports and politics and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman‘s recent call for more Black players in the sport.

“What do you make of this?” Carlson asked Fleury. “Were race politics a big part of hockey when you were playing?”

Fleury said people gravitate to sports like hockey for “fun” and to escape the realities of life.

“So clearly, political forces hijack professional sports as a way to brainwash the young men who watch professional sports,” Carlson said. “That’s of course the entire point of it. It’s strategic. Why doesn’t anybody say back off?”

Fleury responded by saying hockey players are accepting people. He also opined politics have “no place” in sports.

Carlson agreed and ripped progressives for not calling for NBA teams to be more reflective of their communities.

“By the way, if they were calling for affirmative action in the NBA, I’d be totally opposed to that,” he said. “But they never will.”

Watch above, via Fox News.

Is Tucker right? Should they alienate the Gretzkys and the Tortorellas of the world or appeal to more groups other than angry white middle class men?

https://twitter.com/rwesthead/status/1306266046890942471

https://www.mediaite.com/tv/tucker-carlson-rips-nhl-over-pro-trans-tweet-says-the-left-wants-to-hijack-sports-to-brainwash-young-men/

Oof. Soccer is so forgotten.

[Agafin]

Can anyone tell me what problem there is with havin a predominantly white fanbase?

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

The NHL has Russian Hockey players like Alex Ovechkin whom support Putin that's why blks and Latinos shy away from NHL and if you go to Any game some rich whites not middle class or poor whites might yell a racial slur at blk or Latinos when they are drunk, but it used to be at all ballgames but not anymore because whites accept blks now in WWE, MLB, NBA and NFL all except Hockey

[GP270watch]

Can anyone tell me what problem there is with havin a predominantly white fanbase?

 Nothing but it's a business and they want to grow the game and revenues. America is increasingly a non-white country(younger population). The NHL made a decision long ago to grow the game from Canada where markets are small but hockey is beloved to America where markets are much bigger but hockey is behind the other three major sports because it still made overall financial sense.

[progressive85]

99% of Tucker Carlson is anti-trans this, anti-trans that.  He's got a one-track mind.  He also seems to be preoccupied with trans women.

He's like the Father Coughlin of the trans community: a big, bigoted blowhard with a microphone.

[T'Chenka]

A huge number of NHLers are Canadian, and, for the most part, Canadians are less bigoted than Americans. Also, of the Canadians who are uncomfortable around trans people, many of them wouldn't go as far as to hate them or persecute them.

[Suburbia]

A huge number of NHLers are Canadian, and, for the most part, Canadians are less bigoted than Americans. Also, of the Canadians who are uncomfortable around trans people, many of them wouldn't go as far as to hate them or persecute them.

I know a huge number of NHLers are Canadian, but what about the American ones like Phil Housley and John Tortorella? They have said anti-kneeling comments in the past?

NHL is a moderate bunch, they are liberals and they are conservatives.......

[Santander]

A huge number of NHLers are Canadian, and, for the most part, Canadians are less bigoted than Americans. Also, of the Canadians who are uncomfortable around trans people, many of them wouldn't go as far as to hate them or persecute them.

This is beyond stupid. Do you really think the average Canadian NHL player is that culturally different from the average American NHL player? If anything, if you look at high school ice hockey in Minnesota, the epicenter of the sport in the US, it is dominated by suburban Twin Cities schools, filled with kids from upper-middle class families. These are not rural rubes, of which there are probably way more from Canada in the NHL.

[T'Chenka]

A huge number of NHLers are Canadian, and, for the most part, Canadians are less bigoted than Americans. Also, of the Canadians who are uncomfortable around trans people, many of them wouldn't go as far as to hate them or persecute them.

This is beyond stupid. Do you really think the average Canadian NHL player is that culturally different from the average American NHL player?

... yes ? Canadians are not Americans. Our cultures are different, especially when it comes to bigotry.

[DrScholl]

Can anyone tell me what problem there is with havin a predominantly white fanbase?

No one said it's a problem. The NHL just wants to broaden it's reach like any business that wants to make money would do.

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

... yes ? Canadians are not Americans. Our cultures are different, especially when it comes to bigotry.

What? This isn't true. Canadians are not "better" than Americans when it comes to bigotry and racism. This is one thing that annoys me so much, there's too many Canadians that think Canada is some utopia free from racism and discrimination unlike "fascist and racist America". Completely ridiculous and false.

Also, Canadian and American "cultures" are not different. The US and Canada are among the 2 most culturally similar countries in the world. Also, the US influences Canada WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYY more than the other way around. It's not even close or up for debate. "Canadian culture" is essentially just American culture (with some very small differences). Most Canadians don't like to hear that - but it's the truth.

Canada has a dark history with it comes to racism and don't pretend like it doesn't.

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

Also, it should be noted that while a plurality of NHL players are Canadian, the majority are not. Here's the top 10 nationalities of NHL players (based on the 2022-23 season):

1. Canada - 42.3%
2. United States - 27.4%   
3. Sweden - 10.6%
4. Russia - 5.7%
5. Finland - 5.2%
6. Czech Republic - 3.9%
7. Switzerland - 1.3%
8. Slovakia - 0.8%
9. Germany - 0.8%
10. Latvia - 0.5%

SOURCE: https://www.quanthockey.com/nhl/nationality-totals/nhl-players-2022-23-stats.html

[HillGoose]

this guy just never stops talking omg hes so annoying

[T'Chenka]

... yes ? Canadians are not Americans. Our cultures are different, especially when it comes to bigotry.

What? This isn't true. Canadians are not "better" than Americans when it comes to bigotry and racism. This is one thing that annoys me so much, there's too many Canadians that think Canada is some utopia free from racism and discrimination unlike "fascist and racist America". Completely ridiculous and false.

Also, Canadian and American "cultures" are not different. The US and Canada are among the 2 most culturally similar countries in the world. Also, the US influences Canada WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYY more than the other way around. It's not even close or up for debate. "Canadian culture" is essentially just American culture (with some very small differences). Most Canadians don't like to hear that - but it's the truth.

Canada has a dark history with it comes to racism and don't pretend like it doesn't.

LOL

Canadians ARE better than Americans when it comes to racism (on average). The percentage of people who are racist is lower and the percentage of racists that are hateful racists is lower. All Canadians know this and get offended when people claim we're just as bad as Americans. There isn't data to suggest we're equally as bad as the USA, as far as I'm aware.

I never claimed that there aren't racist Canadians or that Canada doesn't have a dark history with racism, so you're building a strawman to argue against something I never claimed in the first place.