The Edmonton Oilers have become the first NHL franchise to show support for the LGBTQ community by using Pride Tape on their sticks – a symbol of hockey world support to show all players are welcome on the ice.
Photo gallery from today's sold out #Oilers Skills Competition presented by @Rogers > https://t.co/rAq0G19iPt pic.twitter.com/pUsvND3Cs4
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) January 24, 2016
Thank you, Oilers. pic.twitter.com/OwLGVKYD99
— Patrick Burke (@BurkieNHL) January 25, 2016
The Oilers partnered with Pride Tape at its annual Special Skills Competition event for fans: during the event every single Oilers player wrapped their sticks with the specially designed rainbow-coloured tape.
Cool! The @EdmontonOilers played with Pride Tape to support equality yesterday! – #TuckerInTheMorning pic.twitter.com/JUm8b9b3Cz
— Virgin Radio Toronto (@VirginRadioTO) January 25, 2016
The skill, speed, and accuracy led event, presented by media and telco partner Rogers, is an annual fan favourite and was a sell out.
Pride Tape, originally an initiative developed at the University of Alberta Institute for Sexual Minorities Studies and Services to support young LGBTQ hockey players, is professional-grade hockey tape that is a physical representation of support from the teammates, coaches, parents and pros to young LGBTQ players.
The message behind the initiative is simple: ‘We’re all on the same team. It shows every player that they belong in the game.’
Andrew ference, a defenceman for the Oilers, is a proud and prominant supporter of Edmonton’s LGBTQ community and helped launch the Pride Tape campaign.
‘Many view professional hockey players as role models and our team felt this was a great initiative to let every person know they’re welcome in the game of hockey,’ said Ference.
‘We’re all proud to play for a team and city that supports diversity and human rights.’
‘Oilers Entertainment Group is honoured to support the Pride Tape initiative and make a very clear statement about our support for inclusiveness in sport,’ added Oilers Entertainment Group CEO and Vice Chair Bob Nicholson.
‘Thanks to Kris Wells and everyone behind campaigns like Pride Tape and You Can Play for their efforts to create an even more welcoming and supportive environment in hockey.’
As well as using Pride Tape, the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation (which promotes youth access and education initiatives) made a donation to become a Founding Partner of Pride Tape and help get the initiative across the goal line.
‘We are thrilled to be partnering with the Oilers and officially launching Pride Tape in Edmonton, a city that believes in diversity and human rights and a city that proudly supports our LGBTQ community,’ explains Dr Kristopher Wells, Faculty Director with the Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services at the University of Alberta, one of the partners spearheading the campaign.
‘It’s a local initiative with national reach and we’re very excited to have the Oilers be the first to support this inclusive message on the ice.’
Comment
Dr Wells and Calder Bateman Communications actually partnered on a grassroots Kickstarter campaign to raise the funds needed to produce the first 10,000 rolls of tape.
The campaign was fully funded on 4 February.
#pridetape is funded!
We'll have more updates to share over the coming days. Thanks to all who supported us! pic.twitter.com/2JKrM8AGhv
— Pride Tape (@PrideTape) February 4, 2016
The Kickstarter campaign site is www.PrideTape.com.
The objective, if the target is reached, is to produce the tape for the mass market and to use proceeds from sales of Pride Tape to support LGBTQ youth outreach initiatives – including ‘You Can Play’ and the Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services.
‘When Pride Tape is funded and produced, we believe it will have the power to change attitudes in the sports world,’ adds Wells.
‘It will help ensure that every young LGBTQ person feels welcome in sports – as players, spectators and fans.’’
While there has yet to be an openly ‘out’ player in the NHL, in recent years the league has taken several significant steps in supporting the community: led by its formal partnership with ‘You Can Play’ (an organisation dedicated to eliminating homophobia in sport)
There are clearly echoes in this campaign to other related initiative across the sports world – including Arsenal’s support for Stonewall’s ‘Rainbow Laces’ initiative (see case study).
Links
Edmonton Oilers Website:
Edmonton Oilers Twitter:
https://twitter.com/EdmontonOilers
Edmonton Oilers YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/OilersonDemand
Edmonton Oilers Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Oilers.NHL/
Edmonton Oilers Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/edmontonoilers/
Pride Tape Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/252024940/pride-tape-hockey-tape-to-support-young-lgbtq-play
Pride Tape Twitter:
NHL:
You Can Play:
